


Brothers Keeper

by Vamphile



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, No Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-24
Updated: 2006-05-04
Packaged: 2018-12-26 19:49:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 164,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12065814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vamphile/pseuds/Vamphile
Summary: Post 513 Justin has a half brother through Craig.  His half brother is also gay and comes to Justin for help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper  
Chapter One  


* * *

Justin was washing paintbrushes when he heard the persistent knocking on his door. He left them soaking and wiped his hands against his shirt before he answered it.

He stared at the kid in front of him for a minute wondering what he was selling, and knowing he didn’t really have the money to buy it anyway… but the silence went on too long.

“Can I help you?”

“Christ I hope so.”

Justin raised an eyebrow, arms crossed against his chest now. Waiting.

“I’m Aaron.”

Justin continued staring.

“Aaron Beckman-Taylor.”

Justin cocked his head to the side questioningly. 

“I’m…” Aaron ran his hand through his hair once. “I’m kinda your brother. I thought you knew who I was.”

”Fuck off, I don’t have a brother.”

“Half brother. Craig’s my dad.”

“Yeah well he’s not mine. What the fuck do you want?”

“You said you’d help.”

“When did I say that?”

“Well you asked if you could.”

Justin sighed, “That’s an expression. Like ‘have a nice day’ or God bless you’”

The kid was practically wringing his hands. “So you won’t help?”

They both stood staring for a moment. Justin relented and moved aside, gesturing for Aaron to come in. “Can we start from a little further back?”

Aaron looked at him questioningly.

“You’re Craig Taylor’s son.”

“Yeah, same as you.”

“Not quite but okay. You are Craig. Taylor’s. Son.”

“Yes.”

“Who’s your mom?”

“Alicia Beckman.”

“And how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“That fucking piece of shit.”

“You really don’t know about me?”

Justin stood up and moved to the sink to finish cleaning his brushes. There should be a million questions running through his mind at the moment but there weren’t. It all seemed pretty clear. Craig had knocked up this Alicia and then never bothered to mention it. “You know, when a guy goes around cheating on his wife, newborn daughter and seven year old son…he usually doesn’t share the information with them.”

Justin glanced towards the boy on the futon and realized maybe he was being a little harsh. Craig was an asshole but at sixteen Justin sure as hell hadn’t figured that out yet… odds were this kid hadn’t either. Justin was wrong.

“Look.” Aaron started with a shaky voice. “I know he’s an asshole. It’s not like, news. But he’s my…our dad, and I figured maybe you could help.”

“Okay, you keep asking for help, what the fuck do you need help with?”

“He’s pissed.”

Justin snorted. “He lives in a state of perpetual aggravation. I need you to be more specific.”

“He kind of went ballistic when he found out I was gay.”

Justin dropped his paintbrushes. “You’re gay.”

“Yeah, and he found out, and now he’s refusing to help my mom anymore, and refusing to even talk to me.”

Now Justin had a million questions. How often did he talk to him before? How was he helping this kids mom out? Financially? After he’d bailed on Justin’s college, and put the screws to his mom and Molly. He turned to Aaron about to start the interrogation when his phone rang.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Can I call you back?”

“Got someone there with you.”

“Yeah kind of.”

“Anyone interesting?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Okay, later, but Deb’s been nagging me all day about my coming to dinner this weekend. Are you gonna be able to make it back to town?”

“It honestly doesn’t look like I have a choice.”

“Huh?”

“I promise I’ll regale you with the whole thing tonight.”

“Promises promises.”

“Brian.”

“I know, you’re busy.”

“Bye.”

Justin turned his attention back to Aaron. “So was my dad around a lot when you were a kid?”

“No. He was always at work or away on business.” 

It sounded awfully familiar to Justin. “And he was helping your mom financially.”

“Yeah, it’s weird, he’s been around kind of a lot lately.”

“And then he found out you were gay.”

“Yeah.”

“And he flipped.”

“Guess you know all about this.”

“I do, but I don’t know about you…how do you know about me?”

“Well, you’re kind of famous.”

“I am?”

“Cause of the um…the prom thing…”

Justin nodded.

“And then all these magazines keep writing about you and how you’re successful with all these shows in New York.”

“Three, I’ve had three minor shows. And never a solo show.”

“Whatever, they kept writing about it, and I thought it was weird, cause my mom isn’t exactly into art. But she always read those articles. Then I saw your last name… and a picture. And I put two and two together.”

“Okay, so you figured that much out. But why did you come here? What is it exactly you think I can do?”

“I don’t know but he said if I came back home he’d kill me.”

“He won’t kill you.”

“Have you talked to him lately?”

“Not for about a year.” Justin grimaced. The last time he’s spoken to his father had been in front of his store, when he’d had him arrested.”

“Well he’s um. He’s… angry.”

“How angry.”

“Possibly dangerously angry.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, but I’m not fucking going back there.”

Justin pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can’t stay here.”

“But you’re my brother.”

“I don’t even fucking know you.”

Justin's phone rang again.

“What?”

“Justin, a hello would be nice.”

“Hi mom. What?”

“Justin have you had a visitor lately?”

“Things became more clear. “You met Alicia?”

“You know.”

“Found out five minutes ago.”

“So he’s there?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because his mother is worried sick. It’s scary when your son runs off to New York.”

“Stop it mom, I came back.”

“Yes, but it’s fun to tease you.”

“Grrr, tell Alicia he’s fine, and I’ll have him back home by…what day is today?”

“It’s Thursday.”

“We’ll be there tomorrow night, I was coming back into town anyway.”

“You were? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You really want me to answer that?”

“You and Brian wanted some alone time so you decided not to tell anyone.”

“See, it’s like we don’t even need to talk.”

“So are you flying?”

“Yeah, make dad pay for the kid’s ticket, I’m tapped out this month.”

“Honey do you need anything?”

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m just not in a place to buy a ticket from New York to Pittsburgh.”

“I’ll have it arranged, what flight are you on?”

Justin shuffled through some papers until he found his flight info. He rattled it off to Jenn and then said his goodbyes eliciting a promise that SOMEONE would be there to pick the kid up from the airport. He was NOT coming back to the loft with Brian… no fucking way… they had very important private plans.

Jennifer promised and Justin turned his attention back to the still shell-shocked kid sitting on the futon.

“If you’re so successful how come this place is such a dump?”

“Fuck off.”

“I mean you must be rich, so is this just like your studio?”

“I’m not rich. Getting written up in a couple of Pittsburgh local rags doesn’t make you successful or rich. This is where I live. And tomorrow, we’re both going back to where you live. And you and your mom… and YOUR dad can figure out what to do with you. I have plans.”

He saw Aaron's face fall. “You’re gonna make me go back?”

“Did you expect me to just hug you and make you my roommate?”

Justin could tell from the look on his face that that’s exactly what Aaron had expected, or at least hoped for.

He relented a little. “Look, you can sleep on the futon tonight. Tomorrow, I was flying back anyway, and you’ll come with me. We’ll talk to your mom and things will work out.”

Justin sounded far more sure than he was. He’d never actually gone back to live with his dad once he’d come out. But then again, Craig wasn’t living with Alicia. And this wasn’t, ultimately, his problem.”

Justin heard the kid’s stomach growl, and realized he was hungry as well. “Pizza?”

“Yeah but I’m allergic to mushrooms.”

Justin smiled. “What else are you allergic to?”

“Everything. Cats, codeine, Tylenol.”

“Yeah, me too, it’s a pain in the ass.”

“Especially when that’s all the nurse at school will give you for a headache and she won’t believe you’re allergic to it.”

Justin winced at less than fond memories. “Yeah, I know.”

For the first time Justin REALLY looked at Aaron. He wasn’t blonde, more sandy brown. He had blue eyes though and Justin realized he really must have gotten them from his father. He was small, but Justin guessed if he stood up he might actually be about the same height, and he wasn’t done growing yet. And he was hot. Justin tried to put the thought away. This was his fucking brother, but the kid had something. Good shoulders, nice chest, from what he could see, a killer smile, and as Aaron stood up to move his duffle bag closer so that he could retrieve something he noticed that apparently his bubble butt was a genetic trait as well.

He called and ordered the pizza, deciding that of all the things he wanted least in his life, Brian meeting Aaron had just moved to the top of the list.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

By the time the pizza arrived Justin had gotten the logistical details out of Aaron without too much coaxing. He’d grabbed what cash he’d saved from mowing lawns and a recent part time job and bought a bus ticket. He’d found the gallery at which Justin had last shown his work, and somehow managed to charm the receptionist into giving him the artist’s home address. 

Justin fumed at that. Giving people his home address was NOT okay. He made a mental note to ream someone out tomorrow. Once he finally calmed down a little more he actually stopped pacing. He was just about to get to the rest of the story when the pizza arrived.

He paid quickly and grabbed a beer for himself. Aaron headed toward the ‘fridge and retrieved one as well and Justin sighed taking it from his hands and replacing it with a bottle of water. “I’m not contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

“Right, like you never drank before you were twenty-one.”

Justin took a long pull from his own bottle. “Doesn’t matter what I did. I’m not bringing you back to your mother hung over and covered in vomit.”

“Pfft. I’d have to be a fucking lightweight to get drunk from one beer.”

“And I’d have to be a fucking idiot to give you one so shut up and eat your pizza.”

They both ate in silence for a few minutes before Justin broached the subject they were both avoiding. “So what exactly happened between you and Craig?”

Aaron shook his head. “Don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Then it can’t be that bad.” Justin knew he was just baiting the kid but he wanted to know what the fuck he was dealing with. Had Craig really gotten more dangerous?

“He’s always been kind of… in the picture. So he knows about my grades and classes and meets and shit.”

“Meets?”

“I’m on the swim team, and the varsity wrestling team too.”

“And he didn’t know you were gay?”

“Shut up, they’re not all gay.”

“Not even the swimmers?”

“Okay, most of the swimmers are gay, but that’s not the point. No. Okay, he didn’t know I was gay.”

“But you told him.”

“Fuck no. I’m not an idiot. Have you ever heard him spout his ‘god doesn’t approve, I can’t believe what they’re letting fags get away with these days’ bullshit?”

Justin nodded. He’d heard it once or twice. “So you were stupid enough to get caught fooling around at home?”

“Something like that yeah, except it wasn’t at home.”

Justin waited.

“It was after swim practice and Joey and I were messing around and one of the guys from the wrestling team saw us. I guess he told the coach, cause I got kicked off the team.”

“Well yeah, who wants to roll around on the floor with a fag.”

“I do.”

“No shit.” Justin said. 

“So dad went ballistic.”

“Define ballistic.”

“Screaming, ranting, raving, ‘no son of mine…’ blah blah blah. Thought he was gonna have a stroke in the middle of the living room.”

“The vein on his forehead start throbbing?” Justin asked casually.

“It was purple. I was staring at him and all I could think was that if someone were to like poke it with a toothpick it would just spurt all over the house.”

Justin laughed at that. “Yeah, it gets very…pronounced when he’s really pissed.”

“No shit.”

“So he was screaming…”

“And he was going on and on about the ‘no son of mine’ thing” which is when I kind of mentioned you.

“That was a bad idea.”

“No shit.”

Justin finished his beer and grabbed another one cursing himself for not having something stronger around. 

“So then he starts on this whole… thing.”

“Said some nasty shit about me?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Okay, then what?”

Aaron shrugged. “He told mom he was not supporting her or me if she was gonna let this go on.”

“How was your mom about it?”

“She’s freaked. She’s like, religious.”

“So she agreed.”

“Yeah, then the rules.”

“Justin nodded…I know those rules.”

Aaron started to count them off on his fingers. “No going to clubs. No talking about my ‘lifestyle’. No dating older men. That one made no sense.”

It made sense to Justin.

“And then he goes off on this whole thing that made no sense at all. I mean the whole older man thing… it was a HUGE issue with him.’

Justin couldn’t help it… he laughed. “You have no idea.”

“And he kept going on about not being replaced in his son’s life by some sugar daddy club freak child molester.”

“That’s Brian.”

“Who’s Brian?”

“The sugar daddy club freak child molester.”

“But why would I want to date some old guy? I mean I asked him that, cause he wouldn’t get off the age thing. And I told him I didn’t want some gross old guy touching me.”

“That must have made him feel much better.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t think the whole thing through before I started yelling back at him. Finally I just got pissed and left.”

“And came here.”

“Yeah.”

“So he didn’t hit you?”

“Might have if I didn’t leave, but no. He did convince my mother to send me to one of those therapist retreat things.”

“Oh Christ, really?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much why I had to leave. I’m not going off somewhere to be reprogrammed.”

“Yeah, you’re not.”

“I’m not?”

“No, ‘sokay, I’ll figure something out.”

“You will. You’ll really help.”

And Justin saw the bravado slip. Aaron was scared. “I’ll help. But you can’t stay here. You can’t stay in New York. You’ve gotta finish school and, I don’t know… go to college or something.”

“I do?”

“Seriously, you thought you’d just come to New York, sponge off your rich older half brother you’d never met, drop out of school and do what exactly?”

It was Aaron's turn to shrug. “Get a job I guess.”

“Yeah well, school. Then whatever. You can probably stay with Michael and Ben… they have an extra room. It’s pink, but Jenny Rebecca’s hardly ever there.”

“Who are Michael and Ben? Who is jenny Rebecca?”

“Oh, you’re gonna have fun this weekend.”

“I am.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a whole fucked up family you’ve never even met.”

“You mean your mom?”

“No, my mom’s okay, but…” Justin shook his head. “Trust me…it’ll be an eye opener.”

Justin grabbed the phone and made a few calls then. First he talked to his mother, who promised to try to talk some sense into Alicia, but if she couldn’t he figured there were back up plans.

He called Michael and Ben who did promise they’d put him up for a couple of days.

He called Debbie, who said the spare room was still free if the kid needed it. Justin hoped for the kid’s sake he didn’t… Deb, Carl and Emmett were three very strong personalities to contend with.

The last call he made was the one he had been dreading… he put it off. 

First he gave Aaron some extra blankets and showed him where the bathroom was. Gave him the grand tour of the apartment. It involved spinning around once to survey the single room and short hallway that led to the bathroom and Justin’s bedroom. 

The bedroom was small, and the bed dwarfed it but Brian had been a control freak about Justin not having anything smaller than a king sized bed. Justin had sworn that it was insane. Brian had sworn that he wouldn’t come to New York to fuck him if he had to sleep in some tiny little bed with no space for them to actually sleep.

Justin held his tongue about the fact that Brian was a stealth cuddler in the middle of the night. They went to sleep on their own sides of the bed, and somewhere in the middle of the night Brian would just wrap and arm around Justin and pull him closer. But he acquiesced, especially since Brian also insisted on paying for the bed.

But none of that was Aaron’s business so when the kid commented on the fact that he must do most of his entertaining in there Justin dipped his head and said nothing.

Once Aaron was settled in he closed the bedroom door and called Brian back.

“You okay?

“Why wouldn’t I be?

“Your mother called asking if I’d heard from you.”

“Yeah, there’s this um… thing.”

“Thing?”

“Did you know I had a brother?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

“Justin.” Brian's tone was warning.

“Seriously Brian, turns out, Craig not only had another son living across town but, are you ready for this? He’s gay.”

Brian laughed then, really loudly.

“Oh and my dads new nickname for you is sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester.” I think it’s spelled as all one word if you want to get business cards made up.

Brian laughed louder.

“So anyway, long story, getting longer, kid got outed, dad got insane, he ran away to New York, like a good teenaged Taylor drama princess, and I’ve got to bring him back and find him somewhere to stay.”

“Your dad doesn’t live with his mom does he?”

“No but his mom’s a religious woman who wants to send him to that reprogramming camp.”

“Those don’t work.”

“No shit.”

“So he’ll go, he’ll be un re programmed and he can go live with mommy, why is this your issue.”

“Brian.”

“Okay, why is this MY issue.”?

“Because that weekend we had planned?”

“Yeah?”

“Um, I’m not looking for it to become a threesome with my underage brother.”

“I don’t know, underage Taylor men are hot.”

“I’ll still be there, but first we have to take Aaron, that’s his name by the way, in case you care, to Michael and Ben’s.”

“Did you call Mel, see how arrested you’re gonna get for kidnapping?”

“Yes. She says if he’s sixteen he can get a job and become emancipated.”

“Why didn’t you do that?”

“I had a sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester. I didn’t need emancipation. Plus I was almost 18 when you met me.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Are you mad?”

“No, I was just hoping no one would find out you were coming into town.”

“Me too. I’m gonna have to have lunch with my mom now.”

“That’s two hours less of having my dick buried deep into your ass.”

Justin moaned a little. “Don’t remind me.”

“So you’re plane gets in at four?”

“And you’ll be in by four thirty.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“G’night.”

“Night.”


	2. Chapter 2

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper  
Chapter Two

* * *

Justin woke up at around three thirsty. He headed towards the kitchen area for a bottle of water and cursed when he banged his shin on the futon. He cursed louder when he realized it was empty.

First he checked the bathroom but the door was unlocked the small room was empty. He sighed and grabbed a pair of jeans. Threw his feet into a pair of sneakers and pulled a sweatshirt over his head. Keys in hand he slammed the door shut and strode down the hallway, with no idea where he was headed.

He didn’t have to wonder for long. He found his newest relative pressed against the wall seemingly by some guy’s lips. Aaron's hands were moving seductively along the man…Justin looked closely… twinks chest. He was pushing off his shirt when Justin’s patience ran out. 

“Break it up.”

Aaron didn’t have the decency to even look embarrassed. “What the fuck are you doing out here?”

Justin grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back towards his apartment. “That’s my line.”

He pushed the kid back onto the futon and locked the door, taking the key out of the deadbolt this time and shoving it into his pocket.

Justin was crawling back into bed, draining the beer he’d switched out his water for when Aaron appeared, leaning against the doorframe. “What the fuck was that about?”

Justin shook his head and gave an aggravated look. “Did you even know that guy?”

Aaron shrugged. “No, but we were getting to know each other.” Justin saw Aaron grin and wondered for a second if maybe this was Brian’s little brother and not his. 

“Aaron, you can’t just go out in New York in the middle of the night and pick up some strange guy.”

“Um, not to argue the point, but I just did.”

“Okay, you can’t go out in New York in the middle of the night and pick up some strange guy while you’re staying with me.”

“Didn’t I just prove…”

“Aaron. No. Alright? I’m responsible for you until I get you back to Pittsburgh tomorrow and you can go without getting your di… without tric… without it for one night.”

“You have some aversion to the term tricking?”

“Not particularly, it just seemed creepy to talk about it with you. Besides, what about Joe?”

“Who?”

“The kid you were messing around with… The swimmer.”

“We were just messing around, we’re not like a couple.” Aaron rolled his eyes at his obvious disdain for the concept.

“So you don’t have a boyfriend?”

“Had one, but that gets messy and aggravating. I’d rather just find a decent guy, get laid, move on.”

“And you’ve never met Brian Kinney.”

“Who the fuck is this Brian guy you and your dad are so obsessed with?”

Justin chuckled. I’m not obsessed with him…neither is my dad.”

“But he’s your boyfriend, or was.”

“No, he’s um… he’s Brian.”

“Will I get to meet him?”

“No, now go to bed, it’s four am.”

“Yeah but I’m still wired.”

“Where did you go anyway?”

“Some after hours place I found listed online.”

Justin’s anger was building again. “You just went to some random club you found listed online?”

“Yeah.”

“Christ you have a fake ID?”

“Don’t need one. Once I’m in mostly guys buy me drinks.”

Justin scrubbed at his forehead with his palm. He was debating how many questions he wanted to ask. How much he wanted to actually know. “How do you _get_ in though?”

Aaron smiled at him and he knew the answer. Fucking bouncers and their blowjob is just as good as an ID policy. “Aaron, you’re gonna end up hurt.”

“I didn’t come here to get lectured.”

“No, you came here ‘cause you had no where else to go.” 

The smug look on Aaron's face disappeared for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “You gonna tell me you’ve never…”

“I’m not gonna tell you anything. Go to bed. I’ve got shit to do tomorrow before we head to the airport and you are not helping.”

“I thought you were supposed to be helping me.”

“I’m gonna help you out the window in a minute.”

Aaron sighed. “Fine, but you know, I thought you’d be fun.”

“Yeah well I’m not.”

Justin flopped his head back on his pillow and pulled the duvet over himself trying to ignore everything he’d learned about Aaron in the last half hour. 

Eventually he heard Aaron settle down and if not sleep, at least keep still. He left his bedroom door open the rest of the night. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was still grumpy when he crawled out of bed at ten the next morning. He was relieved to see Aaron still in bed. He looked so fucking innocent when he was asleep…but then again, Brian looked peaceful calm and beautiful when he slept. Justin knew that looks could be extraordinarily deceiving. Hell, he’d gotten by a lot on his “angelic” look… and fuck if he didn’t hate most people most of the time.

He was finishing his cereal when Aaron started to stir. It was already noon. He’d called and reamed out the gallery for giving out his home address, he’d packed a bag for the weekend, and was about to start stretching a canvas when he realized that there was little room to do that with the futon open…he’d probably end up banging Aaron in the head. Not that the little shit didn’t deserve it.

Instead he pulled out his sketchbook and started to outline something he’d been thinking about.

By the time Aaron had showered and poured himself a bowl of cereal as if he had lived there for years it was after one.

“Hurry up, we’ve got to leave in half an hour to get to the airport.”

“Why so early, couldn’t we stay in town this weekend. I’ll go back Monday I swear.”

“No.”

“But…”

“No. After that stunt you pulled last night, I’m not even sure it’s safe to take you out of the apartment.”

“I went out, no biggie.”

“You went out tricking…you’re sixteen. You’re in New York City. You don’t know anyone and you came home wasted. Biggie.”

Aaron pouted and Justin wondered if his pout was just better or if he was simply immune to the tactic because all it made him want to do was smack the kid upside the head.

“Christ, I’m turning into Debbie.”

“Who’s Debbie?”

“If you don’t play your cards right she’s gonna be your second mother. Now get your shit together, we’ve gotta go.”

They were both carrying their bags and Justin checked once again to make sure he had his flight info, his cell phone, his wallet, and that he’d locked the door. Aaron was obviously getting impatient. When they made it to the street he started to hail a cab.

Justin put a hand on his arm “what the fuck are you doing?”

“Getting a cab.”

“To the airport? That’s like a hundred bucks. We’re taking the subway.”

Aaron made a face and Justin ignored it and dragged the kid with him. Aaron pouted the entire trip, which included three train changes a bus and then a shuttle to the actual gate. He was even more aggravated when he found out that Justin had a first class seat and he was back in coach.

“That’s not fair.”

“Yeah well, sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolesters have their uses.”

Once he was sure Aaron was safely on the plane and not getting off he settled back in his seat and just relaxed. Two hours from now Aaron would be handed off to Alicia or Michael and Ben, or whoeverthefuck and he’d be at the loft, naked, with Brian.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

The plane landed and Justin got off first, he didn’t want to risk Aaron making a run for it. He was relieved to see his mother, and a dark haired woman he assumed to be Alicia at the gate. He had his hand around Aaron's wrist to ensure his presence at the happy little reunion.

He hugged his mother and formal introductions were made. Aaron and Alicia moved off to the side, obviously in heated debate about something. Justin looked at his mother questioningly. “She still want to deprogram him?”

Jennifer let out a long breath. “She thinks it’s the influence of some kid in school.”

“Joey.”

“Yes.”

“Well, we know it isn’t.”

“No.”

“So?”

“So what Justin. I’m supposed to help with your fathers bastard child?”

“Mom.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just… having some issues processing this.”

“You and me both. He’s a terror.”

“And you were such a good kid.”

“Mom.”

“Justin, we can’t fix this, if his mother thinks this is right, she has to try.”

“Mom I can’t believe you’re saying this. Do you know what happens at those places.”

“She’s his mother Justin. We can’t override what she wants to do.”

Justin felt very familiar very good arms slide around his waist from behind. “Listen to your mother Justin. She’s a smart woman.”

A chill went down his spine from the soft sound of Brian's words and the warm breath on his ear. He turned around and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Brian was smiling too and Jennifer stepped away, giving them the illusion of privacy. They didn’t care about privacy. Brian's mouth was covering his and Jennifer chuckled a little and shook her head. Yeah, she’d gotten used to Brian.

Alicia and Aaron on the other hand seemed to be frozen in place. Neither could stop staring at the rather heated reunion kiss. 

“Hi” Brian repeated.

Justin laughed and leaned his head against Brian's chest for a second. “I’ve gotta finish this and then we’ll go okay?”

Brian pushed him away gently. “Do it fast.”

“Trust me, I want out of here as badly as you do.”

Brian cocked an eyebrow and said nothing as Justin walked towards the slowly recovering pair. 

“Is that Brian?” Aaron asked. 

Justin smiled “yeah, that’s the sugardaddyclubfreak… gross old man.”

“He’s hot.”

“Yeah. So Aaron what’s the deal?”

Aaron frowned. “The deal?”

“Where do you want to stay, with your mom or Ben and Michael?”

“He can’t stay with me. And he’s not going with two…”

“Gay men?” Justin finished for her.

Alicia crossed her arms across her chest. “He’s going away for a little bit.”

“Mom, there’s no way I’m going to that place, it’s probably full of old guys who just say they can change you so they can get their disgusting hands on little boys.”

Brian was standing next to Justin again. “Problem Sunshine?”

“Alicia still wants him deprogrammed.”

“It’s not deprogramming. It’s showing him the way of the lord. He’s lost his way.” She held out the brochure to Justin. Brian read it over his shoulder. 

“The artworks for shit, did bob and Brad do this?”

Brian laughed. “No but Christ do they need a new marketing team.”

“So we take him to Michael and Ben’s?”

“Yeah.”

“Aaron, we’re gonna take you to a friends house, just for the weekend. Alicia, you can call the police if you want. I recommend calling detective Horvath. he’s a good friend of ours. Or you might want to call Mayor Deacons, he’s a good friend of Brian's as well isn’t he?” Justin looked up at Brian.

“Well, as one of the influential board members of Concerned Citizens for the Truth…yeah, I’ve got his ear.”

Alicia opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. “He’ll be safe Alicia.” Jennifer cut in.

And you can see him; we’ll all have lunch tomorrow. Just give it some time.

Alicia wanted to say more but she knew when she’d been out maneuvered and overmatched. She simply said, “I want to meet this Michael and Ben.”

Jennifer nodded. “We’ll all go.”

“Actually Brian and I were…”

Jennifer cut him short with a look. “We’ll all go.”

Brian and Justin looked at each other, back at Jennifer and then back at one another. Eventually they nodded their agreement.

“I’m going with them.” Aaron said as they all headed to the parking garage.

“You’re coming with me.” Alicia said.

“Actually Alicia, why don’t we let the boys take him. Then you and I can talk.”

“Can’t take him Jennifer. No back seat.”

Jennifer sighed but realized Brian was right. “We’ll see you two there…I’ll follow you.”

Justin and Brian both sighed. Jennifer knew them too well.

Once in the car they kissed again, a little more hungrily. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“This shouldn’t take long.”

“This shouldn’t take any time at all.”

“Brian, we can’t send him to that place.”

“We’re not his mother is. And you know Carl can’t do shit if we actually kidnap your little half brother.”

“I know, but Alicia doesn’t know that.”

“Mayor Deacons isn’t exactly my best friend.”

“Again, does Alicia know that?”

“So you’re just playing her?”

“I learned from the master.”

“Brian grunted. “You know, you’re going to pay for this.”

“Promises promises.”

“And I’m not going to lunch tomorrow.”

“Yes you are.”

Brian sighed and lit two cigarettes, handing one to Justin. “Think your mom would notice if we just pulled over at that lovely rest stop and…”

“Yes.”

“Think your mom is watching to make sure your head stays above the headrest?”

“Yes.” Justin laughed. “Brian I swear to you, you will get to fuck me before today is over.”

“You know, it’s five o’clock. We’re already running a half hour behind.”

“I know. You think this is what _I_ had planned for our lost weekend?”

“What did you have planned?”

“If I tell you now we’ll never make it to Michael’s.”

“That good huh?”

Brian's hand had moved to Justin's thigh and was stroking him slowly and teasingly.

Justin shifted in the seat. “My mother, my half brother, and his mother are in the car directly behind us.”

“Your point?”

“Nothing, I’m just saying it out loud so I don’t grab the steering wheel and pull the car over myself.”

Brian laughed. “So what do you know about your half brother?”

“He’s a slut.”

Brian lifted his eyebrow at that. “A Taylor twink slut…does Craig know that’s what he’s passed on to his boys?”

“Well, it makes sense. Apparently Craig can’t keep his dick in his pants either. Christ, this is probably killing my mother.”

“She seems okay with it.”

“Yeah, she’s a good WASP that way.”

“You think there are any more?”

“More?”

Brian shrugged. “Who knows how many half siblings you have running around? Apparently daddy was a traveling man.”

“Brian, do you want to fuck me?”

“Do I need to answer that?”

“Then shut up about a) my father having sex with anyone and b) the possibility that there are more demon spawn running around Pittsburgh.”

“Demon spawn… is Andy really that bad?”

“It’s Aaron and yes.”

Justin then launched into a monologue outlining the events of the last evening. His face was red, his hands gesturing wildly. 

Brian laughed. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with getting your needs met.”

“He’s sixteen Brian. He snuck out to some club and blew the fucking bouncer to get in. He let guys buy him drinks and dragged some poor little Twinkie trick back to my place.”

“So far I like him.”

“Brian.”

“What, he’s gay, he’s figured out how to work the system. Are you just jealous that he did it faster than you?”

“Pfft, like I ever had to blow a bouncer.”

“No, you used Vic’s members card until I bought you your very own fake ID.”

“But I never blew a bouncer.”

“Yes, you’re morally superior. I agree.”

“He thinks you’re old and gross.”

“He thinks I’m hot. He said so.”

“Well, yeah, but he thought you were old and gross before he met you.”

“He’s met me now, the old gross thought pattern is gone for good.”

“You know I’ll kill you if you fuck him.”

“What do I want with some stupid kid who doesn’t know shit?”

“Justin laughed. I never did figure out the answer to that one.”

“I’ve told you already, astounding blow jobs.”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I forget sometimes, you only keep me around for the sex.”

“Yeah, I keep you around… except I can’t help but notice that I dropped the ball somewhere on that one.”

“Stop it.”

“Things okay in New York?”

“Yeah, I told you they were.”

“You should have moved to a building with a doorman.”

“Because I can afford that.”

“I would have helped.”

“I thought we made an agreement about this weekend. No tired arguments, only new ones.”

“You broke the rules for this weekend. You told your mother you were coming.”

“What fucking choice did I have? Am I supposed to just let the kid live with me?”

“Hell no. Not if he’s gonna be blowing bouncers. That’s just not the kind of person I want you associating with.”

Justin smacked Brian's arm. “Fuck you.”

“Promises promises.”

“We’ll be at the loft by seven I swear.”

Justin kissed Brian rather chastely before they got out of the car and waited while Jenn, Alicia and Aaron joined them at the door. They were greeted by both Michael and Ben.

More introductions. Alicia's clear distaste for the situation and Aaron’s petulant attitude made the entire situation rather uncomfortable but eventually it was agreed that the inflatable mattress could go in JR’s room and Aaron could spend the weekend with them. 

Hunter would be home in a couple hours and they hoped the boys would have something in common. No one held out much hope but Aaron grudgingly agreed to stay for a couple of days until his mother and Craig could come to some sort of rational decision.

Justin pulled Ben aside before they left. “He’s gonna try and sneak out. He did last night. Just… I don’t know… don’t let him leave.”

“Where’s he gonna go? He’s only sixteen.”

“Ben, he’s already made ‘friends’ with the bouncers at Popperz, and Boytoy, so god only knows where else he can get in. The kids stupid and… stupid.”

Ben laughed. “Justin, he’ll be fine.”

“And just, I don’t know…don’t let Craig near him.”

“Is that an issue?”

“I don’t think so but… just look out for him for a couple of days okay?”

“No problem.”

Justin doubted that. He kissed his mother goodbye, confirming lunch with the entire motley crew currently assembled. Brian tried to beg off but a quick glance from Justin, a pout from Michael and an unnervingly disapproving look from Jenn made him think twice about trying too hard. Finally Justin and Brian were back in the ‘vette and headed to the loft.

They talked about the new work Justin was starting and the new client Brian was wooing, and the things they were going to do to each other once they were in bed until they finally were.

Brian was flat on his back, still fully clothed and Justin was straddling him, unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, I can tell.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Well, no one drinks the milk, and I keep forgetting not to buy it.”

“Great, it took me years to get you to remember to buy it and now you’re gonna forget again.”

“Mmmmmm” was all Brian said as Justin's mouth followed his fingers as they pushed Brian's shirt off of his chest. 

“You’ve been working out more.”

“Kills time.”

“You taste good.”

“That’s that new soap.”

“No, it’s you.”

“I think you just forgot what a real man tastes like.”

Justin started laughing then and the mood was lost. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What?”

Justin was laughing too hard to even repeat it. Instead he rolled off of Brian and lay on his back, his arms out to his sides, laughing 'til tears came.

Brian was less than amused by this turn of events.

“Justin, pull yourself together.” 

Justin tried but the only thing that eventually stopped the hysterical laughter that was a result of the ridiculous amount of bullshit he’d had to process in the last two days was the feel of Brian’s body, naked now, and pressed against his. Brian was laying over him, tugging at his shirt. Justin arched his back to assist in its removal. 

Brian's fingers were on his jeans next, unbuttoning them. Unzipping them none too slowly, and when Justin raised his ass to allow them to slide over his hips to his ankles he heard Brian groan. His smile was no longer a precursor to hysterical laughter. He kicked his jeans off and felt wet heat of Brian’s cock through his cotton briefs.

“Why the fuck are you wearing underwear?”

Justin shivered at the vibrations of Brian's voice against his ear. “I was bringing my stupid little half-breed back to his mother. 

Brian growled and bit at Justin's earlobe as his hands slid under the waistband and kneaded his ass. “They need to come off.”

Justin moved his hands to meet Brian's and they worked together to remove the offending garment. Once it was tossed aside Brian rolled Justin onto his stomach. His mouth was working down his back slowly. His tongue flicking, his teeth scratching at the sensitive skin. 

“You’re so fucking hot.”

Justin couldn’t put two words together. He groaned instead and moved his knees higher, pushing his ass further in the air, giving Brian better access. He let his face fall into the pillow and his body relax into Brian's touch. He let his mind go blank to everything but this. Being back in their bed, being back in their rhythm. Being back.

Brian's mouth was doing amazing things to him but Justin’s patience was at an end. 

“Brian, I need you inside me.”

“Patience.”

“Fuck patience, and fuck me!”

Brian let out a low chuckle and pushed inside Justin. He draped his body over Justin's smaller frame and began fucking him, hard and fast, and Justin met him stroke for stroke. There was no sound then, just their bodies moving together. Their breathing harsh and rapid. 

Justin was lost to everything and he couldn’t be more sure he was right where he was supposed to be then when Brian lifted his body off of him and pulled out completely only to thrust in again to the hilt. Brian’s hands ran up his torso and stopped when he was holding his hair in his fist, riding him hard.

Justin moaned then, and felt the heat like a chemical reaction spreading through his veins. Better than pot, better than E better than anything was being completely and totally controlled by Brian's body, and the urgency of his desire. 

He felt his orgasm start and wanted to scream NOT YET…he wanted more, wanted this to last longer. He needn’t have worried.

He came and Brian followed a few strokes later. And when they were both laying sweaty and smiling, sharing a cigarette he nuzzled into Brian's neck. “I really needed that.”

Brian chuckled and ran his free hand along his back and began a soft slow teasing caress of his ass.

The second fuck was always more gentle, slower. The urgency dissipated somewhat and left a languid but still palpable need. 

He was still resting his head on Brian's shoulder when he felt him put out his cigarette and lean in towards his mouth, pulling his head back by his hair. 

Justin kissed him then, slowly. His tongue sliding inside Brian's mouth and tasting that familiar minty flavor of his gum, tinged with fresh cigarette smoke and he sighed into him.

When he rolled onto his side and Brian pulled him closer, pushing his sheathed cock back into him Justin melted. He felt Brian pulling at his thigh, gently draping his leg backwards over Brian's and then his strong hand settle on his hip. Justin closed his eyes and felt as if the weight of the world had been brushed off of him by Brian's gentle touch. 

The heat of Brian's breath on his ear combined with the heat of Brian's body against him, inside him, around him. He let himself float.

He knew he came, he remembered that…but not much else as he drifted off to sleep.

Almost an hour later he opened his eyes. Brian was sitting up in bed, cutting pieces of an apple. He offered one to him. Justin took it and chewed slowly. 

“Where’d you go?”

“Me?”

“You kind of drifted off there at the end.”

Justin blushed. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“yeah what with tracking down your wayward sibling.” He offered another slice and Justin took it. 

“We should do something about real food. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“Ten bucks says you want me to call in the order.”

“How do you know I don’t want to go out?”

Brian smirked. “I think the fact that you can’t find the energy to sit up and are dripping apple juice on the pillow makes that clear.”

Justin started to sit up but Brian put his hand on his shoulder to stop him. “You’re tired… rest. Mexican okay?”

Justin wrinkled his nose.

“Italian?”

“I want a tuna hoagie with extra sweet peppers, no oregano.”

Brian shrugged and made the call. He was standing in front of the ‘fridge now. “Beer water or milk?”

“Milk?”

“I told you, I keep forgetting not to buy it.”

“Beer.”

Brian joined Justin again on the bed, opening his beer and handing it to him. Then opened his own and put the bottle of water on the nightstand.

Justin was sitting up and leaning against Brian. “I’m really sorry.”

“About what?”

“Falling asleep.”

“You didn’t fall asleep, you passed out, I’m just that good.”

“You are that good.”

He leaned up and met Brian's lips for a long beer flavored kiss before he turned back to stare at the view he missed most in all of Pittsburgh. The view of the loft from the bed. “I forgot how nice this place is.”

“That’s what happens when you live in a slum.”

“Brian, it’s not a slum, it’s just not um…gentrified yet. But look, I’m a fag and I’m living there, so according to all real estate guides, it should be an up and coming area any day now.”

Brian clinked his bottle against Justin's. “To your up and coming-ness.”


	3. Chapter 3

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper   
Chapter Three

* * *

Alicia was in her robe, doing her hair and debating what to wear. For years she had wanted to confront Jennifer. She had wanted to show her that she had no right to act so perfect, so superior, so in control. 

She had been young and stupid then, and in love with Craig Taylor. He’d promised her so much, everything really. But in the end, she’d ended up a stereotype and she knew it. The other woman. The tired single mother who counted on scraps of affection and financial assistance from a man who was never going to leave his wife and children. 

She had hated herself for a while, and hated Craig for a while as well. Eventually her friends, her mother, even her grandmother, who’d always been supportive. got through to her and she realized that she needed to move on. To accept that whatever financial help Craig offered was no less than what he owed her, and Aaron. But they also reminded her that she deserved more than what Craig was willing to give her. 

It’s funny but once she closed her heart to Craig. Once she’d given up hoping for anything more from him, he was suddenly around more. But that was because of Jennifer too. 

She’d always known about Jennifer, and she’d seen her sometimes in the grocery store or the mall. Mostly because for a while Alicia had been obsessed with the woman who had Craig. And seeing her, watching her, hearing her talk to her friends over lunch had not made her feel better about the situation. Jennifer always seemed so comfortable, so in control, so sure of herself and her place in the world. Alicia didn’t know if she could ever hope for that kind of security.

When Craig became a more constant presence in hers and Aaron's life she’d asked him about it. He hadn’t said much but eventually the story came out. Especially after the incident with his son at the prom. It had been all over the papers and Craig was embarrassed. He’d spent most of the time the boy was in the hospital staying with her. He refused to leave the house. Refused to go anywhere but work. That’s when Alicia truly learned the meaning of “be careful what you wish for.”

Craig wasn’t a bad man, not cruel, or violent. But he was precise. Alicia was applying eyeliner as she considered the word. Precise. That’s exactly what he was.

He liked everything just so. And after years of making it on their own she and Aaron had learned that nothing really ever was “just so.” They lived in a small house. She worked as a legal secretary and while she put in extra hours, there was never enough money for everything. 

So the place wasn’t decorated “just so”. And the lawn wasn’t tended “just so”. And the living room was never “just so.” Aaron always had friends over playing video games or skateboarding on homemade ramps in front of the house. Craig had no patience for any of it. And eventually Alicia gave up all pretense and told Craig to leave. She had lived without him for so long. Lived with just the fantasy of him for so long that the reality was… well, it wasn’t “just so.”

She pulled off the red sweater she’d been wearing; deciding it was too bright, too low class. She needed to impress these people and she knew she couldn’t. She’d followed Justin's career. A New York artist. And Craig had made enough disparaging comments for her to know who the man she’d seen Justin with was. He was beautiful, and successful and Craig hated him for both those things. And for replacing him in his son’s life. She worried now that he’d try to do the same in Aaron's.

And then there was Jennifer. Cool, calm, rational… didn’t even bat an eye when Alicia had shown up at her door hysterical trying to find Aaron. Jennifer knew where she belonged in society, and Alicia was all too aware of her place.

She finally decided on a simple beige dress with a bright scarf at the neck. She was nervous about this lunch for so many reasons but mostly because she wanted her son back. She wanted Aaron the way he was, before he’d turned his back on god. Before he’d infuriated his father. Before he’d become someone she didn’t know. 

She took a deep breath and threw her lipstick in her purse. She took one last look before getting into her eight year old Honda and heading towards Michael and Ben’s house. 

She couldn’t even pretend to be comfortable with her son staying there but these people were smart, rich and connected. She didn’t have a choice yet. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Jennifer made Molly swear she’d do her homework before she left for her friend’s house. Molly had rolled her eyes but promised. 

She tried to pull herself together. In truth, she wasn’t sure why she was involved in any of this. Craig knocked up some slut 16 years ago…while she was still home with a seven year old and an infant and now suddenly she was responsible for what happened to the kid? Hadn’t Craig put her family through enough? But she knew Justin wasn’t going to see it that way. Not about this. And she wasn’t sure she could just turn her back and leave Aaron at Craig's mercy. She had to try. 

She didn’t want to try. She wanted to claw the bitch’s eyes out, kick Craig in the nuts and storm off cursing louder than Debbie when she was pissed at Brian but she wasn’t going to do any of that. She was going to smile, and stay calm and rational and not let anyone know how much all this upset her. 

She smiled. Maybe she could get someone to really piss off Brian. He was always a good diversion when aggravated.

That thought got her to throw her lipstick into her purse, grab her keys and get into her new Volvo SUV, which was perfect for taking clients to see new listings. She pulled out of the driveway and headed to Michael and Ben’s hoping Debbie was coming and cooking. 

They were good men and good friends to Brian and Justin, but Ben’s tofu Asian crap was not her cup of tea.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Carl wasn’t sure why he had to go to this particular family get together, and he wasn’t sure he was gonna be able to restrain Debbie even a little but he knew he had no way of getting out of it so he sat on the couch and waited for Debbie to change once again.

The entire time he heard her cursing Craig's name and muttering something about brainwashing and showing people what god really is. He just waited. He’d learned from experience that there was no rushing Debbie when she was unsure what to wear, and there was no shutting her up on the subject of gay sons.

Eventually she tossed a bright red lipstick into her purse and pulled on her purple coat, picked up the lasagna and yelled at Carl for still sitting on the couch when they had to be at Michael’s in twenty minutes.

He stifled a sigh and followed her out to the car. It was a six-year-old refurbished cop car he’d gotten at auction. Still ran great.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian was watching Justin get dressed. He reached out to touch him but Justin twisted away, too intent on the upcoming lunch to be distracted. He wanted to be annoyed but it seemed Justin was annoyed enough for the both of them. He continued to mutter under his breath about his “fucking father” and “demon spawn” and was grumbling something about still being in bed getting fucked into the mattress and Brian smiled.

Justin was pissed, and focused on whatever it was he had to do this afternoon. But Brian was pretty sure the evening was all his. His and Justin's.

He understood why Justin was upset. Understood that he was upset for his mother. Understood that he wasn’t particularly fond of his new “half-breed” as he’d taken to calling him. And was concerned about what Craig might do, and the very real possibility that Craig might show up at the Novotny-Bruckners this afternoon. But Brian wasn’t worried. 

The kid wasn’t their responsibility. Craig could show up and bluster all he wanted, he wasn’t laying a fucking hand on anyone there. And after this weekend… this would just be one more bizarre twist in the family tree they’d assembled over the years.

Justin was finally ready. Brian shoved some condoms and a few packets of lube into Justin's pocket…just to keep his mind somewhere else if it came to that, and they climbed into the ‘vette and headed to Michael’s. Justin smoked and bit his nails but was mostly silent during the drive.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

The all arrived within minutes of each other and there was some awkwardness as they stood at the front door. They could hear Aaron yelling something about not wanting to deal with all those assholes. 

Brian smiled and put a hand on Justin’s back. Justin took his mothers hand and squeezed it a little.

Carl put his arm around Deb and whispered to her that the kid was scared, and not to tear him a new one the minute she saw him. She wasn’t his family yet. 

Alicia wanted to agree with Aaron and hustle him out of there. She looked around at the united front they were showing and had never felt more alone or resentful in her life. “These freaks were going to tell her what to do with her son?”

She was about to say something to that effect when Ben opened the door. He was muscular and though his face was open and friendly, he still intimidated her.

The others didn’t seem to feel the same. Brian brushed past him first and started to offer everyone a drink as though it were his home. Then he kissed Michael on the mouth. Alicia glanced over at Justin to see his reaction. There didn’t seem to be one. Ben didn’t seem upset either. She shook her head wondering what her son had been exposed to in the last 24 hours.

Pulling her jacket around her she slipped inside the house and sat in the corner of the room observing and trying not to be seen. She knew when she was out of her element.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Lunch started smoothly enough. Debbie laid out the lasagna and garlic bread. Ben put a salad on the table. Hunter said a quick hello and goodbye to everyone as he headed out to meet some friends and everyone stared intently at their plates not saying anything.

Aaron was the first to break the silence.

“Why the fuck does it take like four hundred people to have lunch?”

Brian snorted and Justin smacked his shoulder. Debbie who was sitting on his other side slapped the back of his head. He shot a dirty look at each of them but said nothing. 

Alicia tried to answer his question. “I think that…” she realized she actually didn’t know the answer to the question and sighed.

“Why _are_ all of you here?”

“I live here.” Michael replied. 

“He’s my son and he asked me to come” Debbie added.

“Alicia I think maybe we’re all just concerned about what happens to Aaron.” Jennifer tried.

“I’m not.”

They all glared at Brian. 

“What? I’m not. Why should we worry, he’s got a mommy who cares, and we’ve all seen how well a boy can turn out without Craig. So I’m not sure what the big deal is.”

Justin was livid. “Brian, it’s not about him getting by without Craig, we all know he’s better off without that asshole.” 

“Justin.” 

Justin looked at his mother. “You’re gonna defend him?”

She sighed. “No.”

“Okay, so fine, we’re all better without Craig, but he’s not better off shipped somewhere to be brainwashed.”

“It’s not brainwashing. Aaron’s always been a good boy and…”

“Could you all stop talking about me like I’m not here?” 

Aaron stood up, his face red with anger. 

Brian had seen that look before. “Fuck, drama princess three o’clock.”

Justin leaned closer. “Shh, lets see how he does. I think I was better.”

Brian smiled and sat back to watch the kid work.

“I’m gay mom, I’m not suddenly the devil, or even a different person than you knew last week, and I’m just your son, who likes to fuck guys. So why am I suddenly this horrible THING that you have to deal with? Okay dad’s not happy, well, duh, we knew that, when was dad EVER happy? And with him…” he gestured towards Justin. “As his only experience with a gay son can you blame him for thinking I’m gonna be some kind of sick freak?”

“HEY!” Justin, Jennifer, Debbie, and Brian all yelled in unison.

Aaron looked up. “Well you were dating…” he gestured towards Brian. “Some old guy.”

“Yeah, I was, and that’s not why Craig was mad. And it’s not why he’s mad now and you know it.”

Aaron sat down. “Yeah I know, but still, you could have been a little more careful… then I wouldn’t have to deal with all this shit.”

Justin snorted. “Sorry that my actions fucked up your life but um, can I remind you of a couple of things? A) It’s my life and B) I didn’t fucking know you existed.”

“Still.”

“What, I’m supposed to be careful of how I come out to my dad in case he has a bastard son running around who has to come out to him later? Fuck that.”

“Justin.”

“Mom, stop. You know what? This is all bullshit. Aaron’s right. Why do I care? Why do you? If his mother wants to go brainwash him, let her. If Craig was stupid enough to fuck around with someone that dumb… well, are any of us surprised?”

Brian put a hand on Justin’s arm. “Justin stop.”

Justin shrugged Brian off. “No. I’m not gonna stop. I get some kid dumped on my doorstep because we happen to share the same asshole’s DNA. I rally the troops and try to find a way to help and he’s gonna sit here and tell me that _I_ did it wrong when I came out. Fuck him.”

Justin stormed out and Brian followed.

He handed Justin a cigarette and lit it for him. Saying nothing for a few minutes. 

“You’re right. You do it better.”

Justin glared at him

“You okay now?”

“Yeah I’m great.”

“What the fuck was that?”

“Ungrateful little twat.”

“He’s 16, his father just disowned him and his mothers trying to send him to god’s tabernacle of the holy pussy or something… what’s he got to be grateful about?”

“I’m trying to help him.”

Brian almost laughed but thought better of it. “Yes, you’re being very helpful.”

“Fuck you.”

“What do you want me to say? I didn’t see why you got involved in the first place.”

“I don’t remember why either.”

Brian was standing behind him now, leaning his chin on Justin’s shoulder. “Because you’re a better person than I am. And than your dad is. And than Aaron's cunt mother is.”

“Oh yeah, that.”

“Yeah that.”

“God’s tabernacle of the holy pussy?”

“It’d probably work better than the marketing thing they’ve got going now.”

“Brian, if you take them on as a client…”

“They couldn’t afford me.”

“Can anyone these days.”

“Only a select few.”

“Lucky for me I locked you in at your cut rate prices.”

“I’d still cut you a deal.”

“Good, I’d hate to go broke.”

“Go broke?”

“Broker.”

“That’s what I thought.

Justin turned around in Brian's arms and kissed him. They could hear the raised voices all the way out in the yard. “Should we go back in?”

“Fuck no.”

“We have to you know.”

“Yeah I do.”

Justin took Brian's hand and they walked back in…calmer and ready to face the mêlée.”

It was louder now. And everyone seemed to be talking at once. Everyone but Alicia. Aaron was still red-faced and screaming at Michael. Ben was trying to separate the two while Debbie and Jennifer were disagreeing about something else entirely and Alicia was simply sitting quietly head in her hands crying.

Justin joined Carl in trying to separate Deb and his mother. While Brian quietly took Alicia’s hand and let her to the living room, away from the fracas. He guided her to the sofa and sat across from her.

“You okay?”

She nodded and he handed her a tissue. “If you think about it, it’s kind of sweet.”

She looked up at him “sweet?”

“All those people screaming over what’s best for a kid they just met.”

“He’s MY son.”

Brian bit back a snark. “No one’s arguing that.”

“But they act as if they know what’s best.”

“Yeah, they do that.”

“You don’t.”

“I don’t what?”

“Act like you know what the best thing to do is.”

“Oh, I don’t have to act. I do know what’s best.”

She looked Brian straight in the eye and saw the twinkle there and smiled. “You’re not as bad as Craig said you were.”

“Pretty sure I couldn’t be.”

She wiped her nose again. “He really hates you.”

“I know.”

“He thinks you stole his son.”

“I did.”

Alicia shook her head. “Are you always so honest.”

“Yeah.”

“So what do you think is best for him?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I’m not going to promise to agree with you.”

“Wouldn’t ask you to.”

“You think I should leave him with this group of lunatics?”

Brian shook his head. “No. But I think you need to re-think the religion approach.”

“God says…”

“I know what god says. I’m not gonna argue with you. I’m going to tell you that you talk to god yourself, and see if he wants you to hurt your son. See if he wants you to turn your back on him and lose him to this bunch of lunatics. Craig did that. And not even for reasons as silly as religion.”

“You don’t believe in god?”

“Not the issue. The issue is do you believe in your son?”

“He’s a good boy.”

“That’s yet to be seen. But if you make him choose, he’s going to choose the lunatics who are currently screaming about what’s best for him over a life of pretending to be something he’s not. So the choice is actually yours.”

Alicia nodded, seemingly considering Brian's words. 

“You want a drink?”

“Do you think Michael and Ben keep anything stronger than wine in the house?”

Brian laughed. “Scotch or gin?”

“Gin and tonic if they have it.”

Brian nodded and went to get her a drink. He handed a beer to Justin and one to Carl, who both looked like they could use something cold. He put a gin and tonic with a twist in front of Jenn who took a break from her argument with Deb to spare him a look of gratitude. He refilled Debbie’s wine glass and returned to the living room with Alicia's drink and a scotch on the rocks for himself.

We’ve got about fifteen minutes tops. Then Jenn will apologize, and Deb will forgive her, and Aaron will stomp upstairs and Michael and Ben will huddle together somewhere to process what went on. Take your time and enjoy the show.

Alicia smiled at him gratefully and Brian sat back and watched as Justin eventually gave up the illusion of being able to control his mother and just nursed his beer. Eventually he glanced towards Brian and lifted the bottle in mock salute. Brian smiled and cocked an eyebrow at him. They both waited for the calm after the storm.

Brian was pretty accurate as far as time went. Aaron stormed upstairs, declaring his hate for everyone ever.

Ben and Michael went to the kitchen to “clean up”. Deb and Jenn agreed to disagree and eventually Brian stood up and offered Alicia his hand, leading her back to the dining room. 

“I don’t want to lose my son.”

Four mouths opened to reply but she put her hand up and they all stopped. “It’s clear you all care about him, though I’m not sure why, considering the beast he’s been today, but that means something. I won’t send him to the clinic or camp Craig suggested. But I need to ask you all to give us some time. Me and Aaron, to deal with this. I can’t contend with all of you and Craig and Aaron.”

Justin crossed his arms. “Fine.”

“You just make sure you let him be who he is.” Deb said.

Jennifer simply shrugged. 

Alicia called for Aaron and explained that he was coming home with her. When he balked she filled him in on what they’d decided. He smiled a little and they left.

Everyone else filed out soon after. “Thank you Michael. I owe you one.” Justin said.

Michael grimaced, “I think you owe me like twenty.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “I’ll make Zephyr more buff in the next issue.”

“Well okay then.”

And they laughed as they left.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was extraordinarily happy to climb into the ‘vette. “Christ that was fun.”

“I think you and I have different definitions of fun.”

“Apparently. What did you say to her?”

“Nothing, I used my powers of mind control.”

“I’m gonna stop letting you read the new issues of Rage. They’re fucking with your already unhealthy ego.”

“My ego’s fine.”

“You think this was all you don’t you?”

“Wasn’t it?”

“Was it?”

“I don’t know, you were all screaming at each other. I thought we were gonna have to get Jell-O for your mother and Deb to wrestle in.”

“Gaaah, don’t be gross.”

“Well what the fuck were they even arguing about?”

“You know, I’m not sure, something about how to handle son’s. Like either one of them knows what the fuck their kids are up to.”

“I don’t’ know, Deb and Mikey are pretty tight.”

“Yeah, and me and my mom, we never talk about anything.”

“Are we actually arguing?”

“I think so.”

“About what?”

“I have no fucking clue.”

“Blow me.”

“Okay.”

And Justin did. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

“What is it about getting blown in the car that makes you hornier than when we started?” Justin asked as Brian pushed him against the loft door, kissing him hungrily.

“No clue.”

“You’d think I’d learn my lesson.”

“Stop talking.”

“Mmmmmm okay.”

And Justin did.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

it was almost nine by the time either of them found the energy or interest to get out of bed. 

Justin was boiling some pasta and Brian was trying to find something worthwhile on television. He ended up just flipping through the channels 'til Justin brought the food to the coffee table where the proceeded to eat and catch up on the things they hadn’t had time to talk about yet.

When they finished and Justin had convinced Brian that since he’d cooked Brian could damn well do the dishes, like they hadn’t had that argument seventeen hundred times in their lives. 

Eventually the both realized they were neither tired, nor horny nor hungry.

“Wanna go to Woody’s for a drink?”

“Yeah.”

Woody’s was somewhat crowded. It was a Saturday night but neither of them minded the crowds as Brian ordered their drinks and Justin scoped out a decent spot at the bar for them to assess the local talent.

Justin was on his third shot when he saw a very familiar new player on the scene.

“Goddamned motherfucking shit!”

“What?”

“That little half-breed slut.”

“Oh Christ not...”

“Aaron!”

“Justin, if you yell he’s just gonna run.”

“So? Good. Get him the fuck out of here.”

Aaron turned his head, saw Justin and bolted out the door.

“And if he runs… we have to chase him.” Brian said, his head down already tired of this game. And as he was saying it Justin was leaping off his barstool and heading out after his errant little brother.

Brian followed more slowly, realizing that maybe his plan hadn’t been foolproof.

He caught up with Justin at the corner. He was looking both ways. “Fuck I lost him.”

“Didn’t I tell you never to chase after anyone?”

“Brian shut up, we can’t just leave him out here… he could get hurt.”

“Or he could get laid…which is what I wanna do.”

“Brian, what happens if some guy just picks him up?”

“You mean like if he’s stupid enough to stand under a streetlight and go home with the first guy he sees?”

“Fuck off, and you weren’t the first guy I saw.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Not now Brian okay?”

“Fine, but he’s not under a streetlight.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I just saw him go into Pistol.”

“Fuck I hate that place.”

“Yeah, and it’s my favorite hang out.”

“Go home Brian. I’ll be there soon.”

“Brian sighed. You need money for the cover or are you gonna blow the bouncer?”

“Bite me. I think I have twenty bucks.”

“Does Aaron?”

Justin closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about it. He kissed Brian. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t fall asleep.”

 

Justin paid the cover and scanned the crowd looking for Aaron. Spotting him he strode towards the kid. 

Aaron was working his charm on some guy, couldn’t be more than 22 himself. Justin had to admit he was grudgingly impressed. The kid could be charming when he wanted to. He saw the bartender pouring a shot in front of the kid and he moved quickly, grabbing his arm before it could bring the drink to his lips.

The guy who’d bought him the drink was pissed. “Fuck off.”

Justin glared at him. “Fuck off yourself. He’s mine. Keep your fucking hands off him.”

“Kinney’s twink has a twink?”

Justin was fuming now. “Yeah, touch him and we’ll both kill you.”

The guy shrugged and backed away. Aaron was furious.

“What the fuck did you do that for?”

Justin didn’t respond he simply pulled Aaron out onto the street and didn’t stop until they were at the loft.

Once he threw him inside and closed the door Aaron was even more outraged. “You can’t just drag me around like some fucking child.”

“You are a fucking child.”

“And what about you. ‘Kinney’s twink’”

“Fuck you. You’re supposed to be home with your mother what are you doing here?”

“You dragged me here.”

Justin sighed. “Not here in the loft, here on Liberty Avenue, here at wood’s here at Pistol?”

“Aaron rolled his eyes, I was trying to get drunk and laid but Kinney’s twink interrupted.”

Brian had been surveying the drama from the top of the stairs. He was pinching the bridge of his nose. “Justin, take him home.”

“You can’t, my mom can’t know I’m out.”

“Right, we’ll lie to your mother. Justin. Take him home.”

“He’s got a point Brian.”

Brian looked up then. “He does?”

“If I take him home, she’s gonna… we can’t take him home.”

“Call your mom.” He handed Aaron the phone. Aaron dialed. “Alicia, hi, it’s Justin. Yeah, Aaron’s with me… I thought he told you, he thought I told you. I’m sorry.”

“By noon I promise. G’night.”

Aaron and Brian both smiled

“What?”

“You’re really good at lying to moms. “

“I was thinking the same thing.” Brian added.

“Yeah well, it only works on normal moms. Deb doesn’t buy it for a second.

“Deb!”

“What?” Justin looked at Brian as though he might be insane.

“Take him to Deb’s.”

“Brian it’s after midnight. I’m not waking up Deb and Carl…he’s sleeping on the sofa. Besides, you know how easy it is to sneak out of Deb’s house?”

They smiled at each other “yeah” Brian replied “I do.”

“Well so do I, and this little shit will figure it out faster than you and Mikey did.”

“But you only knew because I told you how we did it.”

“Pfft, like I couldn’t have figured it out. I helped her install the goddamned screen doors.”

“Whatever.” Brian was heading to the closet to get a blanket. “Justin set the alarm. You.” he glared at Aaron “better not snore.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and gave a smug smile.

Justin locked the door and set the alarm.

“You’re gonna owe me a whole other weekend.”

“I know.”

“Soon.”

“In New York.”

Brian sighed. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

Aaron pulled the blanket over his head and tried not to listen but Brian and Justin just would not shut up. Eventually he yelled “I get it, you like each other. Get a room.”

They both laughed and kept their activities somewhat chaste and almost completely silent.


	4. Chapter 4

  
  


* * *

****

  
Brothers Keeper   
Chapter Four  


* * *

Justin woke up and heard the familiar noises of the loft. The traffic on Tremont Street, the soft half wheeze of Brian still sleeping, the odd hiss the hot water heater sometimes made. He smiled and pulled the duvet around him a little more tightly.

New York was hectic, and invigorating and exciting. The loft was home. He was just closing his eyes again when he heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen. Brian's arm was now draped over his waist and his chest was pressed against Justin's back. His breathing was still even and shallow. Who the fuck was in the kitchen?

Then it all came back. The last few days, his little half-breed brother. He sat up and Brian rolled onto his stomach, his arm now flung across Justin’s thighs, his face nuzzling into Justin’s hip. He was still asleep.

Justin wanted to call out to Aaron. Ask him what the fuck he was doing but he didn’t want to wake Brian so he just sat and watched as Aaron made more of a mess than one would think possible while just getting cereal. He shook his head and gently removed Brian's arm.

He found a pair of sweatpants next to the bed and walked quietly towards the kitchen. Aaron’s back was to him, and his full focus seemed to be on his breakfast.

“It’s polite to ask.”

“Fuck off. I was hungry.”

Justin shrugged. “At least you found a use for the milk.”

Aaron gave him a confused look and then turned his attention back to his raisin bran.

“Finish up. I have to get you back to your mom.”

“I thought I didn’t have to be back 'til noon.”

“You have to be back BY noon. And I have other plans for the day.”

Aaron smirked and glanced towards the bed. “I’m sure you do.”

Justin walked away, heading towards the shower.

He got the water to the temperature he liked when he felt more than heard Brian step up behind him.

“You’re wearing my pants.”

“Did you want me to walk around half naked in front of my half-breed?”

“You probably shouldn’t call him that?”

“Why not.”

Justin turned around now, kicking the bathroom door closed and wrapping his arms around Brian. “I don’t fucking feel like being polite to the twat.”

“Your country club manners are slipping.”

“Like that kid would recognize manners.”

Brian backed Justin into the shower.

“Brian, I need to take my pants off.”

“They’re my pants, and I know. I was giving you some incentive.”

Brian ratcheted the hot water up a couple of notches and Justin yelped. “Fuck.”

“Okay.”

“Brian, you know I can’t stand the water this hot.”

Brian moved so that the spray was directly on him, shielding Justin from it. “Better?”

“No. You used to be a lot more considerate about it.”

“Yeah well I’ve gotten used to living alone again.”

Justin wanted to say something glib. He couldn’t think of anything.

Brian realized too late that Justin wasn’t in a joking mood. He put his finger under his chin and lifted it 'til their eyes met. “Kidding Justin. I’m not gonna get used to you being gone any time soon.”

_“Fuck, that wasn’t any better. Now he was about to cry.”_

“Justin, stop.”

“Brian this is a mess.”

“Well, we’re in the shower. It’s as good a place as any to clean up.”

“Not us. We’re… okay right?”

“More than okay.”

“But this thing with Aaron. What the fuck?”

“I know.”

“He has to go back to his mother.”

“No shit.”

“But she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s not gonna be able to handle my dad.”

“You don’t know that. I mean what do you really know about her and your dad other than the fact that they fucked about seventeen years ago.”

“It’s not about her. She may even be almost okay. My dad on the other hand.”

“Fuck your dad, he’s not worth worrying about. I thought we finished this argument years ago.”

“Brian, do you have any idea how far he’ll go to stop Aaron from being gay?”

“You can’t stop someone from being gay.”

“I know that, and you know that. Do you think my dad knows that?”

“Justin.”

“Brian. What if he does try to ‘cure’ him? Do you have any idea what that entails?”

“A little. I did some research.”

“When?”

“After you called me, before you got here.”

“You did?”

“Wanted to see what we were up against.”

“You and your fucking homework.”

“Yeah, it’s what keeps me on top.”

“I thought that was just cause I let you stay on top.”

“Like you have a choice.”

Justin was nuzzling Brian's neck now. “I have a choice. I choose for you to be on top.”

“Well, glad you made your decision. You’ll let me know if you change your mind?”

“Don’t I always?”

Brian's hands were moving down Justin's back, ostensibly to run the soap across his skin. Arguments could be made that this was NOT Brian’s primary purpose. “You do. Eloquently.”

I’ll drive him back, and be back in the loft by noon. I swear.”

“Better idea. I’ll drive him back, and be back in you by noon.”

Justin grunted as Brian drove into him hard and deep. “Okay” was the last actual discernable word Justin said for some time.

When they both came out of the bathroom. Justin grabbing the sheets to throw in the laundry with the soaking wet sweat pants he’d retrieved from the corner of the shower Aaron was smirking.

It’s not like they could pretend they had been doing something other than fucking. Brian’s hair was wet and spiky. He was wearing nothing but a towel. Justin was wrapped in the robe he still kept at the loft. He looked nothing if not freshly fucked. And the dark red mark at his throat, which even the robe didn’t cover, was another clear indication.

Brian pulled on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt; amused that Aaron couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of him.

Justin noticed Aaron's gawking. He was less amused. Brian leaned in to kiss Justin before putting on his jacket. “Back by noon I swear.”

“Pick something up for lunch. I don’t wanna go out, and I damn sure don’t feel like cooking.”

Brian kissed him again. “Don’t spend the entire time making the bed. We’re just gonna unmake it as soon as I get back.”

“No shit.”

Justin smiled and Brian took Aaron by the arm. “Let’s go.”

Aaron tried to protest but Brian was no longer paying attention to him. He simply dragged him along like an aggravating accessory.

Justin did make the bed, but mostly because he liked to. Not in his apartment, there he couldn’t understand the need to carefully make a bed only to unmake it just to go back to sleep. 

This bed was different. He loved the way the sheets smelled. (Like fabric softener and Brian.) He loved the way the bed looked so perfect and pristine when it was done right. And liked to keep that image in his head when he would get up to survey the rumpled hard used look it would have later.

His plane didn’t leave until one am. He and Brian could still salvage part of the weekend.

Once the bed was made and the laundry thrown into the dryer he paced for a few moments, and then gave in and called his mother.

“Hi mom.”

“Hey sweetie.”

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Justin remained silent waiting for his mother to drop the façade. Eventually he heard her sigh. “That’s what I thought.”

“I’m just trying to process this.”

“Did you know? I mean at all. I mean, about Alicia, not Aaron.”

“I knew. Not about Alicia but about other women. I didn’t know about anything LIKE Alicia.”

“He’s a bastard mom.”

“Your father or Aaron?”

“Craig. Aaron’s a bastard by circumstance. Dad’s a bastard by choice.”

“I know that. It doesn’t make it easier for me right now though.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You know that none of this is your fault.”

“Aaron seems to think a lot of it is.”

“Aaron’s a child. You thought you were responsible for your father and I getting a divorce.”

Justin had no response to that. Rationally, of course it was their decision. More likely his mom’s decision but having your father tell you point blank that the marriage ended when you came out. It’s not something you can rationalize away.

“Justin none of this is your fault.”

“I know. It’s not your fault either mom.”

“No, some of this is my fault. Your father wasn’t the only one in that marriage.”

“Apparently you guys weren’t the only two in the mix.”

“Justin.”

“Mom. This is insane. How the fuck did we get involved.”

“Your heart is too big.”

“Yeah and I’m sure you kicked Alicia to the curb the minute she brought you her sob story about her poor little lost boy.”

“So we’re both too nice for our own good.”

“I found him last night.”

“Found him?’

“Long story, he was getting cruised by some guy at a club.”

“Did you take him home?”

“He slept at the loft.”

Jennifer laughed.

“What?”

“Poor Brian.”

“Poor Brian? I have to drag the little half breed out of a club I normally wouldn’t be caught dead in, and put him up for the night and all you can think is ‘poor Brian?’”

“Well, at least there was a, um… there were…benefits to taking you in. I don’t think he really has it in him to handle another teenage Taylor drama queen.”

“Mom I can not believe you just said that.”

“Well, it’s true.”

“He slept on the couch. And he’s never coming back here again.”

“Justin, he knows where Brian lives. He’s met Brian. He’ll be back.”

“Not if Brian wants any of those… what did you call them, ‘benefits’ again.”

‘Justin, do you want him to kick him out? Leave him on the street?’

“Sure, why not? Aaron swears he can handle himself.”

“Justin.”

“I’ll talk to Debbie. Maybe she’ll be willing to put him up IF he shows up at the loft. He’s not staying here.”

Jenn was laughing loudly now. “You’re not really threatened are you?”

“Fuck no. But I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let him fuck with Brian’s head. You know how fucking protective he can get. Aaron will milk that for all it’s worth.”

“Like you did?”

“I did not!”

“Okay.”

“You know what mom? I’ve got stuff to do. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jenn hung up, still laughing and somehow realizing that while this sucked for her, it might be fun to watch. And although Justin wasn’t seeing it yet, the humor was definitely there.

Justin wasn’t seeing it yet.

Justin was fuming when Brian returned.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian was putting food from the diner in the ‘fridge and hoping that Justin would calm down before he actually had to say something. He was not in the mood to deal with this family bullshit anymore this weekend.

He pulled out a bottle of water and casually brushed by Justin on the way to the sofa, bumping his shoulder against him. It didn’t work. Justin’s face remained grim. His body language stiff and Brian sighed inwardly. He wasn’t getting laid for a while.

“You made the bed.”

“Nothing else to do.”

Brian left the water on the table and poured himself a scotch instead.

“Great, get drunk. That’ll help.”

“Didn’t realize I was supposed to be helping.”

“My mom says he’s gonna come back here.”

Brian downed the drink in one gulp and poured himself another. “I can see why she might think that. I’m apparently some sort of magnet for wayward youth.”

“Fuck you.”

“That was the general plan, but you don’t seem to be in the mood.”

“Brian if he comes back here you have to send him away.”

“Okay.”

“You’d just send him out on the streets. What is wrong with you?”

Brian poured himself a third and sat down crossing his feet on the coffee table. “You told me to send him away. I was agreeing with you.”

“Brian do you know what can happen to a kid his age out there alone?”

“Yeah, we went over this last night.”

“Brian. You have to take him to Deb’s if he shows up here again.”

“Have you checked with Deb about that?”

“I will.”

“And what about the lack of security.”

“We could install an alarm at Deb’s house.”

“We? You mean _I_ could. And then what? Deb and Carl live in a state of minimum lockdown because you have a half-breed who may or may not show up here?”

Justin flopped down next to Brian and took his drink from his hand, downing it quickly.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do.”

“Here’s a novel idea. Don’t do anything. He’s not your problem.”

“I know.”

“Then why the drama?”

“I’m making sure I don’t get out of practice?”

Brian chuckled at that and leaned over to kiss Justin’s temple. “I really don’t think we need to worry about that.”

“See, but if I don’t worry then no drama. No drama and I get rusty.”

“Yeah, I’d hate to see you lose your ability to queen out over nothing.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Brian refilled his glass for Justin. “Just relax. He’s got a mommy to look out for him. He’s got Deb to kick his ass. And he’s got a brother who’ll show him everything he’ll ever need to know about being a drama queen. The kid’ll be fine.”

“Brian?”

“Mmmmmm?”

“Can we stop talking about him? My brain is spinning.”

“I’ll bet I can make it stop.”

He took the glass from Justin's hand and put it on the table in front of them and then turned his full focus to the man beside him. Pushing him back against the sofa. “I’m glad you didn’t bother to get dressed.”

“Didn’t see the point.”

Brian was slowly untying the belt to Justin’s robe. Sliding the soft fabric strip out of the loops and letting the garment fall open. Justin’s eyes turned the exact shade of blue Brian was hoping for. His little half-breed was the last thing Justin was thinking about.

He lay his body over Justin's, pushing the boys arms up over his head. He was licking at Justin's neck now. Nipping at the sensitive area just behind his ear. Moving his mouth lower to the spot where his jaw line curved so perfectly. 

Justin was moaning softly and didn’t realize for a moment that Brian had bound his wrists. He didn’t even bother to struggle. If Brian wanted to run this show…he’d let him. He was perfectly happy to relinquish control for a little while. 

He started to think again about his brother and his father, and how his mother was really handling this.

“Justin.”

He looked at Brian who was saying his name in a demanding tone of voice. “Stop. Thinking.”

“I can’t there’s too much to…”

“Stop it.”

“Brian I…”

Brian swallowed Justin's words. Pushing his tongue into that hot wet sweet mouth that still tasted a little like toothpaste and a lot like scotch. “You’re thinking too loudly.”

“Brian.”

“No. Just stop.”

Justin tried but his head really was spinning. Aggravating thoughts and images popped unbidden behind his eyes. Aaron showing up at the loft, drunk, high, upset, or in any other condition that would cause Brian to resist pushing him back out the door.”

“Justin!”

“What?”

“Open your eyes.”

Brian could feel Justin slip away from him. He’d done it before. When he was over thinking an art project, or trying to make some decision that seemed life altering at the time. Brian knew what this was now. But he wanted the kid back. “Look at me.”

Their eyes met and Justin smiled. A genuine sunshine smile. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I’m working here. Stay with me.”

Justin laughed at that. And Brian’s mouth began it’s torturous decent down Justin's body.

Justin didn’t close his eyes. Instead he relaxed against the bonds on his wrists. Let his body melt into the sofa, and into Brian’s touch. He loved this. Nothing else mattered right now.

Brian felt Justin let go. Felt his body relax. He didn’t stop. Didn’t change his pace. He simply smiled against Justin’s thighs as his tongue made small circles on the sensitive flesh. Justin was whimpering now. Moving his hips, trying to get Brian to pay more attention to his aching hard on. But Brian steadfastly refused to move any faster.

He left little nips along Justin's inner thighs, moving his tongue languidly down to tease the crack of his ass. Justin was moaning now and Brian lifted those pale thighs over his shoulders and parted his perfect cheeks. 

“Brian.” It was a pleading sound.

Brian was not going to allow it to affect him. He continued to tell himself that as he felt his own hard cock tortured by the restriction of his jeans. But this wasn’t about him. Not yet anyway. This was about bringing Justin's head back to where it should be. On them. On sex. On being together for the next few hours. The next few hours were all they had for a while. And Brian resolutely pushed the thought of driving Justin back to the airport out of his head. 

He took a wide swipe with his tongue along Justin's ass and heard him moan. “I love when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Moan like a whore. You’re so easy.”

“Brian…”

Brian smiled. Yeah, he’d pissed Justin off, and embarrassed him, but it didn’t stop him from moaning like that. And Brian would rather Justin be a little aggravated with him right now than thinking about anything else.

He worked his tongue into Justin's ass, fucking him with it and feeling Justin's body trying to buck into the thrusts. He held the boys thighs firmly, keeping himself in control of Justin’s body.

When he knew Justin was ready, more than ready… desperate even, he pulled away a bit.

He heard the whimper in the back of Justin's throat and watched as he bit his lip trying to be quiet. He leaned forward, unbuttoning his jeans, and freeing his own hard on. “Make all the noise you want. I love the way you sound when you want me.”

“Always want you” Justin panted.

“Good.”

Brian turned him over and Justin scrambled to his knees on the sofa, arching his back and spreading his legs wide.

“Christ you’re hot.”

“Need you Brian.”

“So fucking hot.” He ran his hands down Justin's back. Feather light touches that made him arch further, trying for more contact.

“You want me to fuck you?”

“NOW!”

“Demanding aren’t we?”

“Brian.”

Brian was teasing him, with his voice and his fingers. It was working. Justin's body quivered each time Brian's hands made the slightest contact. 

He rolled a condom on and pressed against Justin's ass. He felt him press back.

“My hands Brian. Untie my hands.”

“Nope.”

“Brian.”

Justin tried to push back again but Brian refused to allow anything but the slightest contact between the head of his cock and Justin's ass. 

His hands continued to slide along Justin's body. Flicking at his nipples and lightly stroking his leaking cock. “So wet.”

“For you Brian.”

“All for me?”

“All for you Brian. Please.”

Brian splayed his hands across Justin's chest and pulled him up towards him. Pale back flush against olive skinned chest. He bit down on Justin's shoulder while he pushed into him to the hilt and Justin moaned so loudly that he thought the kid might have come that quickly.

He slid his hand down to Justin's still hard cock. Justin’s hands, still bound, were braced against the arm of the sofa while Brian held his body tight to him and began moving inside him.

“Harder Brian.”

“So bossy today.

“Please.”

Brian pushed him back a little and pulled out, only to thrust in again, angling himself to hit Justin's prostate. Justin was incoherent now. Grunting and moaning, his body covered in a sheen of sweat.

Brian's own noises blended with Justin's as he brought the boy to the edge, and then stopped. He heard him whimper, and rubbed the smooth skin above Justin's cock, letting him calm down before he began again.

Justin’s head was thrown back. He was keening as Brian mercilessly prodded his prostate until he was sure he was going to black out from the feeling… and just as he felt his orgasm start Brian would stop. He’d pull out completely, stroking his back, his sides, his hips. Whispering soft words that Justin didn’t have the brainpower to process at the moment.

All he could do was respond to the soft rumble of noise, the hot breath on his ear, the vibrations of Brian’s chest against his back.

He had no idea what Brian was saying. He had no idea what he was saying in return, only that he was begging, and he would beg. He would do whatever it took if Brian would just let him come.

His body was on fire. He was gasping for air, and Brian would push into him and he was sure that suddenly Brian had grown. He was ten feet tall, and his dick was surely splitting him in two, but it felt so good. His entire body enveloped by the sound, scent, feel, and touch of the man he loved.

Brian was inside him, and around him and he just let himself go completely.

Brian felt it. The moment Justin gave in completely to the feelings. He stopped begging, he stopped asking, he stopped even trying to maneuver his body. He simply moaned unintelligible syllables and let himself be lost to the control of Brian's hands, and mouth. He stroked him then, fucking him harder, their sweaty bodies sliding against each other as he leaned over and sucked on Justin's neck. “Come for me.”

He would have bet money Justin didn’t even know he’d basically just come on command. That his brain didn’t consciously process the words. But he felt him shoot. Felt his body contract and then seemingly explode. Felt his tight channel ripple around his dick as though trying to expel him, but Brian pushed back and continued to prod him with the head of his cock, as he rode out the aftershocks and came himself.

Justin collapsed then, face down on the sofa. Brian rolled just a little to the side, to avoid crushing him. His softening cock still inside him. He reached up and untied Justin's wrists.

Justin’s hands immediately reached backwards to stroke Brian’s face. His head turned for an awkward kiss. And Brian wrapped an arm around Justin's waist and let him turn a little onto his side. They lay like that. Brian still inside him, their heart rates returning to normal. 

Justin would sleep now. He usually did after coming that hard. After being denied that long. And Brian was perfectly happy to just hold him, wet, sticky and sated, against him.

He kissed the back of Justin's head and listened to him breathe. This was exactly what he’d had planned for the weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper   
Chapter Five

* * *

Justin was quiet on the ride to the airport. He’d been quiet while packing in the loft. He had been quiet for most of the day. Well, except when he became loud and demanding. “More, harder, there, now, fuck, Brian, god!”

But they hadn’t talked much. He was thinking. Brian wasn’t too concerned. He knew the danger signs when Justin withdrew too far into himself. This wasn’t that. This was just how Justin tried to figure things out.

There was a time when he would have just talked incessantly, almost like a radio station, or at least that’s what Brian used to think. Justin didn’t care if anyone was actually listening. The broadcast would continue as he talked and talked, and talked through the issue. Justin didn’t do that anymore. He considered things carefully. He still rolled things around in his brain, spun them this way and that considering every angle, but he didn’t do it out loud anymore.

Brian missed it when it first stopped. Missed being in on the decision. Now he was far more comfortable with it. He knew that Justin would come to a decision. He knew Justin would consult him if he got stuck. And in the end, Justin would let him know what he’d decided.

All he had to decide now was how he was going to handle the situation. There was nothing he could do. The only thing he could control was his reaction. Brian wanted to remind him of this but he had faith that Justin would eventually come to the same conclusion.

He walked Justin to the gate and kissed him. “Call me when you land.”

Justin nodded. 

He leaned him and kissed him again. Justin responded with a little more enthusiasm this time.

“I’m sorry about this weekend.”

“I had fun.”

“Well the end was fun.”

“Glad you thought so.”

Justin pushed his overnight bag back behind his hip so he could lean his body flush against Brian's.

“I still owe you a whole weekend.”

“In New York.”

“‘Cause I say so.”

Brian laughed. “As if you need to remind me who’s in charge.”

“I’ll call when I land.”

“Later.”

“Later.”

He watched Justin walk through the gate and head towards the plane. He didn’t turn to leave until Justin was out of sight.

There was a ticket on the car when he got back. He really had to learn to fucking park the car when he dropped Justin off. It never took less than ten minutes for him to say goodbye to that boy.

He threw the ticket in the glove compartment, making a mental note to drop it on Ted’s desk to make sue it got paid and headed back to the loft. He hated this part. The part where the loft felt empty again. But it was part of the deal. And it was a hell of a lot better than the alternative. Justin had to be in New York. That didn’t mean they had to be apart.

He pulled the loft door closed and turned on the computer. He exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and started to do some more research. He still wasn’t sure what Alicia's long term plans for the half-breed were but if she was convinced he could be “cured” Justin was going to intervene. If Justin tried to intervene he was gonna get tangled up with Craig again. Brian was going to do whatever it took to prevent that. Run ins with his father always left Justin more upset than he liked to admit.

He was still reading up on the newest methods of reversing homosexual tendencies when the phone rang.

“Hey.”

“Plane landed. I’m fine.”

“Good.”

“I’m sorry about…”

“Cut it out. We’ve covered this.”

“I’m gonna have to call my dad.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because Alicia listens to him. He can’t seriously believe there’s a cure for being gay.”

“Justin.”

“Brian I’ll be fine. I’m not some little kid who can’t handle Craig anymore.”

“Don’t call him.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Well, I figure if just once you listen to me, it’ll save us both a lot of bullshit.”

“Yeah, but what are the odds I’m gonna listen to you.”

“Getting slimmer all the time.”

“Brian you know this can’t…”

“I know. Just don’t call him unless you have to. Alicia said she’d give it some time.”

“Fine. I’ll wait.”

“Good.”

“I’ve gotta go. I’ve got two trains and a bus to catch.”

“Have you considered taking a cab?”

“I’d rather eat this month.”

“You know I’ll help.”

“You know I won’t take it.”

“Ever get the feeling we talk in circles.”

“Beats not talking at all.”

“No shit.”

“I’ve gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“When’s your next show?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m meeting with a new gallery tomorrow.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Yeah, if I can get some sleep. I won’t be home 'til four.”

“Take a fucking cab. I’ll send you some ramen noodles.”

“It’s safe at this hour. Less crowded.”

“Call me when you get home.”

“Brian.”

“Humor me.”

“Whatever.”

“Bye.”

Justin hung up and Brian lit another cigarette. He knew he should get some sleep. But until Justin called he wasn’t gonna be able to stop thinking about him on the train and the subway in the middle of the night. He knew he was being ridiculous. That Justin had, in the ten months since he’d been living there, gotten quite adept at finding his way around. And he was a confident little fucker too. Didn’t stop Brian from worrying more than he’d like to, or more than he’d admit.

He sighed and turned off the computer. He hadn’t found anything new, just the same horror stories he’d already seen.

He was in bed, trying to convince himself that he was not waiting for Justin’s call when the phone rang.

“You okay?”

“Go to sleep. I’m back in my apartment safe and sound.”

“Let me know how the meeting goes.”

“I will.”

Brian fell asleep quickly. He was tired and knowing Justin was safe and in bed, he could finally relax.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Aaron was screaming but his mother was ignoring him. He had to go to school. 

“I can’t go back their mom. Everyone knows.”

“Well I can’t afford for you to change schools so you’re going to have to just deal with it. Aaron, you need to graduate.”

“Why? It’s not like I’ve got a shot at college now. Dad’s not gonna help, and we can’t afford it without him.”

“We’ll figure something out. And even if you don’t go to college, you are NOT dropping out of high school.”

“What’s the difference? My life is over anyway. None of my friends are gonna talk to me. Dad refuses to look at me. You think I’m a freak.”

“Not a freak Aaron. I just think you’re confused.”

Aaron opened his mouth to argue but shut it again. He didn’t see the point in going over this again. She wasn’t going to change her mind. And he knew he wasn’t the least bit confused. He’d hoped this entire issue could have waited. He’d planned on maybe telling her, but once he was done with school. Once his father had paid for his education, and he was able to support himself and his mother. Then he could tell Craig to fuck off. Then he’d be able to show his mother that he was a success, and it didn’t matter who he fucked.

He hated Justin so much. He’d managed to do all of that. But then he’d also managed to find someone to help him. He’d managed to glide through undamaged…well, except for that prom thing, but that was ancient history.

Justin didn’t know how fucking lucky he was.

Aaron was riding his skateboard and getting more and more angry at his half brother as he headed towards school. He got as far as the soccer field across the street before he realized that there was no fucking way he was going back into that building.

He turned around and pushed of on his board, heading anywhere but school.

He was almost a half a mile away before he realized he had no idea how to kill an entire day if he wasn’t in class. On the rare occasions he had cut school it had always been with Joey, or Dennis, or some other friend with a car. Without a car he was kind of stuck.

He ducked into a local convenience store and bought himself a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and exhaled slowly as he contemplated his options.

He knew how to get into the city but what was the point, it was midday. But then again he’d never actually seen Liberty Avenue in the light of day. Sure, he’d seen it as the sun was just coming up, but by then he was usually too wasted to notice anything much. 

Making his decision he headed towards the train station. It was a couple of miles, and would cost him a couple of bucks but surely there was something to do. Maybe he’d find some rich bored guy to kill the afternoon with. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin grabbed his book and his keys. He looked for his phone. He’d put it down somewhere last night before bed. It wasn’t on the charger. He looked on the nightstand, and the floor… the shades were still pulled and the room was dark. He turned around to see if it had fallen behind something when he heard the crunch. FUCK. He picked it up, hoping it could be salvaged, but he’d left it open last night and the screen was now disconnected from the keypad by all but a few wires. Goddammit. He didn’t have the money for this.

He couldn’t do anything about it now, he was running late. Already aggravated he pulled the door shut and locked it behind him. Then he put his game face on. This show would be a real coup.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian tried to concentrate on what Ted was telling him but he couldn’t. It was too boring. 

“Ted. Point. Soon.”

“Right, Brian, it’s simple, you need to decide what you’re doing with the building.”

“Fuck. Ted, I don’t know.”

“The work’s completed. It’s up to code and saleable. But the inside is still pretty much a blank canvas. Do you want to sell it as business space, rebuild Babylon, or just lease it out?”

“I’ll let you know.”

“It’s just, we’re carrying the cost of the mortgage on the building, plus general insurance, and there’s more to be done depending on your plans. So I need to make some calls, but it’s all kind of stalled until you let me know what you want.”

Brian was pissed now. “Ted I promise to inform you as soon as I know what the fuck I want.”

Ted wasn’t stupid enough to continue. He left quickly and Brian sat back on the sofa wondering what he should do. What he wanted to do. He looked at the clock, almost one. Justin should be done with that meeting by now. He called him and got his voicemail.

“Hey, I’ve got a question, call me.”

He walked out of the office and headed to the diner for lunch.

Michael and Emmett were talking about something. He slid in next to Michael, nodding a greeting to Emmett who didn’t even pause from his story.

“Electrodes… down there, and every time you look at a picture that makes you hot they go off…can you imagine?”

Michael shuddered. 

“New toy Emmett?”

Emmett glared at him. “I was telling Michael what some of those places that swear that they cure gay men do.”

“I think you’re exaggerating.”

“I was talking to Frankie, you know him… blonde, hangs out with the Todds a lot, used to be with what’s his name… Jamie, your old bartender, for like a week or something.”

Brian smiled. “Yeah, I’ve had him. Not bad.”

“Well, when he first came out, his parents sent him to one of those places. He told me all about it.”

“Brian nodded. “Why the fuck are we talking about this?”

“Because of Aaron.”

Brian cocked an eyebrow at Michael. “You and Ben taking in another foundling?”

“No I just don’t think that torture is the answer.”

“Relax, Frankie seemed to recover nicely.”

“Brian, how can you pretend you don’t care?”

“Who’s pretending?”

Michael sighed dramatically and Brian finally got Kiki’s attention. He ordered and then turned back to Michael and Emmett. “Alicia can’t afford one of those places, and even Craig isn’t gonna do that to the kid.”

“If you say so.”

Brian shrugged. “Not my call. But hell, if it comes to that, we can sic Justin on him. He’s having his own hissy fit over the little half-breed.”

“Well can you blame him?”

Brian took a sip of his coffee, grimaced and added more sugar. “No. I still blame Craig.”

“So what’s going on with Babylon renovations?” Emmett asked, changing the subject. 

“No clue. Still debating.”

“You should re open. Don’t let those fuckers win.”

Brian nodded. “That’s one side.”

“And the other?”

Brian was relieved when his food arrived and the subject changed to Emmett’s newest encounter with some seemingly straight guy who turned out to be a bigger perv than dungeon master Don.

He tried to call Justin again on the way back to his office but the phone still went directly to voicemail.

“I’m taking this as a sign the interview went well and you’re now planning how to spend all your money and not that you’re ignoring me. Answer your fucking phone.”

He slid the phone back in his pocket and let his eyes follow a hot guy who was obviously cruising him.

He followed the guy for a block or two and saw him turn down an alley.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~***~**~**~**~*~*

Aaron was surprised at how quickly he made it to Liberty Avenue, but then again, the busses ran more regularly during the day. 

He was walking aimlessly, smoking a cigarette when he heard a few catcalls. He turned and saw a group of kids about his age hanging out between two buildings. He moved hesitantly closer. Not joining them. Simply standing nearby, leaning against the wall and lighting another cigarette. Trying to look like he belonged.

He watched in awe as some guy wandered down towards the group. He made eye contact with Aaron first but Aaron dropped his eyes. The guy was too old, and too ugly. Even if it did look like he might have money. 

Eventually after a few of kids had made some crude comments he pulled one of them back behind a stack of old wooden pallets. 

When he walked back out several minutes later Aaron kept his eyes down, trying not to look shocked. 

A car pulled up and a few jokes were made to some kid apparently called “Merk.” He approached the car and a few words were exchanged. Then “Merk” got in. 

Aaron’s attention was now focused entirely on the conversation going on between the kids near him.

“Fucking lucky asshole to have a regular like that.”

“Heard he actually springs for a hotel.”

“No fucking way dude, he’ll be back in 45 minutes. Who gets a hotel room and only uses it for 45 minutes.”

“A guy who can afford it.”

“I’m not buying it, besides, his car is big enough to fuck in.”

“Merk says he’s a bottom.”

“You’re shitting me. You see that guy?”

“One of them shrugged, stubbing out a cigarette. “You know you can never really tell.”

Until now the boys had been ignoring Aaron. But one of them, apparently some sort of leader turned his attention to him. “How bout you chicken? You a top or a bottom.”

Aaron exhaled the smoke from his own cigarette and shrugged. “Depends on who’s asking.”

They all laughed at that. “You new?”

Aaron kept his head down. “I guess.”

“Where you staying?”

“Around.”

“Next one’s yours, call it a gift.”

There was some obvious resentment at the gesture from a few of the other kids but Aaron nodded just a little. His heart was racing.

This was NOT why he’d come here but what if…

It beat school. A couple of blowjobs. Maybe letting some gross older guy paw at him, and he’d be making more money than he made roping in grocery carts at the Giant Eagle. Hell, maybe he’d be able to afford a car.

The next guy who headed down the alley wasn’t gross or _that_ old. The grumbling from the other boys got louder but Aaron knew it was pretty much now or never. If he didn’t prove himself here…then it would be the last time he could show his face in this alley, or possibly in daylight on Liberty Avenue again.

He moved a little, putting his body between the man’s and the rest of the group. He looked the taller guy right in the eye.

“Looking for a date?”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Brian kept walking, heading back to KinnetiK. He turned his head slightly to see what the guy had passed him up for and his anger flared.

He stormed down the alley quickly and heard Aaron ask the question.

“No. I Am.” Brian growled, grabbing Aaron by the shirt and dragging him back to the main street.

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing.”

Brian wasn’t talking. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing. He kept walking, dragging Aaron with him. He pulled him into KinnetiK and threw him down on the sofa, locking the door to his office behind him.

He hit the button on his phone. “Hold all calls but Justin. And fucking call the kid, he’s not answering his goddamned phone.”

Cynthia had no idea what was going on, but if Brian was that angry, and calling Justin “the kid” she’d call him. She only hoped he picked up…she didn’t want to be the one to tell him that she couldn’t find him.

Aaron stood up and tried to act casual. He failed. 

“You’re a pain in the ass you know that?”

Brian sneered. “What the fuck were you doing?”

“What did it look like?”

“Is that what you do all day. No wonder your mother thinks you’re a freak.”

“Fuck you.”

“I don’t know… I don’t have any cash on me, what’s the going rate these days?”

Aaron moved closer. He’d learned a couple of things from his time in the clubs. The fact that older men found him hot was one he’d used to his advantage quite a bit. “ I’d give you a discount.”

Brian pushed him back. “What, the family rate?”

“We’re not family.”

Brian shook his head. “No, but I have an entire family that would disagree with us so back the fuck off.”

“You know you like ‘em young. You must if you’ve been with Justin so long. He still looks like a kid. Would it be so bad?”

Brian laughed. He tried to think of something snarky, or witty, or angry to say. And in truth, he was pissed to hell. Right now all he could think was that his magnetism to wayward boys was not a superpower he wished on Rage, or anyone else for that matter. He’d only recently got Hunter to stop propositioning him, and that kid was straight. Now he’s got Justin’s half-breed looking for it?

He sat down behind his desk. “Bad isn’t the word.”

“Then what is?” Aaron moved closer, still trying to work the seduction angle.

Brian ignored his blatant attempts at changing the direction of the conversation.

“Doesn’t matter. Sit down 'til I figure out what the fuck I’m gonna do about you.”

“Just let me go. I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you’re an angel.”

“Hey, I’m not just some fucking hustler.”

Brian lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t mean to belabor the point but…”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?”

“I don’t… I mean I’ve never… I mean I haven’t”

Brian didn’t believe him. “Mmmmmm hmmmm.”

“Fuck you.”

Aaron started to storm off, in a bizarrely familiar tone of voice. His stride toward the door was reminiscent of someone they both knew as well. Brian moved faster than Aaron and grabbed him by the shirt, throwing him back into the chair across from his desk. “Sit there and don’t move.”

He hit the intercom button again. “Cynthia, where the fuck is Justin?”

“How the fuck should I know? I keep getting voicemail too. Try emailing him.”

Brian growled and punched the phone again. 

He logged on and saw the Justin was online.

>  
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: where the fuck are you?
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: in the middle of the MOMA looking at art… I’m at home where the fuck do you think?
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: Answer your fucking phone.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: can’t it’s broken.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: what the fuck, use your landline.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: you know I don’t have one.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: Need to talk. Half-breed’s a hustler.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: WTF??? Hustler, liar, or hustler rent boy?
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: rent boy
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: kill him
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: You won’t get mad? He’s here now. I’m pretty sure I can get Cyn to hide the body for a while.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: I’m coming back.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: Probably best.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: fuck.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: I’ll keep him within reach, and at arms length 'til you get here. Cyn will email you the ticket info. 
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: I’m sorry you have to deal with this.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: I’ll think of some way for you to repay me.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: I’m sure. Gotta go now. Apparently have to pack.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: See you soon
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: I’ll take a cab from the airport.
> 
> Bkinnetikcorp: I’ll be at the loft. Can’t kept he kid here.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: k bye, later.
> 
> ****Fcukthesunshine has logged off****

Brian hit the intercom button again, rapid firing directions to Cynthia who decided now was not the time to remind him that he’d promoted her six months ago and had a perfectly competent person to do shit like this.

When it came to Justin related crises he turned to her for logistical maneuvering. He trusted her. 

She booked Justin on the first commuter flight Liberty Aair had. It was two o’clock. The plane left at four. She hoped Justin had time to make it. Concerned he wouldn’t she arranged for a car and driver for him in New York to get him to the airport. And one at the Pittsburgh airport to get him to the loft. 

She was pretty confident Brian wasn’t gonna say a word about the cost.

She had no idea what was going on, but from Brian’s reaction… and Justin’s immediate and grateful email reply…she knew it was big. She just hoped they were both okay.

~**~**~**~**~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~

Justin jotted down the confirmation number and grabbed his overnight bag…again. He still hadn’t unpacked it from the previous evening and now he was headed back. He was furious with Aaron. And worried. What had he been doing? What had Brian seen? What the fuck was going on?

He couldn’t get a satisfying response via email and with no phone… he headed down to the street hoping the car was there soon. He wanted to figure this out and get the fuck back to his life. 

The flight was uneventful. He searched automatically for Brian at the Pittsburgh airport but then remembered he had the half-breed with him and Cynthia had sent a car. 

He saw a man holding a sign with his name. He introduced himself and followed him asking him to drive quickly.

The driver tried to make small talk. Justin wasn’t in the mood to be polite. He grunted acknowledgement about the mans weather observations and assessment of traffic conditions and he eventually seemed to get the point and shut up.

By six thirty he was inside the loft.

Brian kissed him hello. He kissed him back perfunctorily. “What the fuck’s going on?”

“How did the gallery meeting go?”

“Fine, I’ve got a show in two months. They want to feature my multi-media pieces and a couple of the larger paintings. What the fuck’s going on?”

“Calm down. This won’t go better if you lose it.”

“What won’t go better?”

“Relax.”

“Shut the fuck up. Where is he?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Asleep?”

Brian shrugged. “He fell asleep.”

Justin looked over at the sofa. It was empty. “IN OUR BED?”

“Shhhh, he’s sleeping. And I put him there after he fell asleep.”

Justin closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door, banging it a couple of times. Brian put a hand on either side of Justin’s head to stop it. “Hey.”

“Brian.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Let’s assume I do. Now sit down. Have a drink, or three, and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Justin dropped his bag and threw his jacket over it. He kicked off his shoes and dropped himself onto the sofa.

“What do you want, hard stuff, beer or milk?”

“Stop trying to get rid of the fucking milk. Gimme a scotch.”

Brian poured them each one and handed a glass to Justin. He headed to the fridge for a couple of beers and put them on the table as well. Then he sat on the opposite end of the sofa. He put his feet up and Justin made room to accommodate him. They drank in silence for a moment. Their legs comfortably tangled.

When Justin had finished his drink and started on his beer he finally seemed ready to rationally discuss the situation.

“Start at the beginning, leave out a detail and I’ll kill you.”

Brian decided to let the comment pass and told Justin what he knew.

“So do you believe him?’

“Which part?”

Justin took a moment as if deciding. “All of it I guess. The part where he’s never really done that before. The part where he won’t go back to school… all of it.”

“I don’t know… I didn’t get a good look at his face when he was talking to that guy.”

“Fucking pervert.”

“Yeah, older guys who like teenagers are twisted.”

“Shut up.”

“You do recognize the hypocrisy of your stance though?”

“You do recognize you’ve pointed it out to me about a hundred times in the last three days.”

“I’m just reminding you that he’s not twelve, he’s sixteen.”

“Brian he was selling his ass in an alley.”

“Yeah, that’s the one that got me too.”

“So now what?

“Why the fuck are you asking me?”

“You’re the one who always has some subtle evil master plan.”

“Yeah, that’s me, future evil overlord.”

“Brian. What. Do. We. Do?”

“Take him home to mommy?”

“If you thought that’s what we should do I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I know.”

“So.”

“So?”

Justin stood up and poured himself another scotch. He refilled Brian’s glass and left the bottle on the table. Brian moved his legs and waited until Justin settled to re-entangle themselves… 

“We’re never having children.”

Justin raised an eyebrow. 

“We can’t figure out what to do with one kid we barely care about. What the fuck would we do with a kid we liked?”

“You think about shit like that?”

“When I’m drunk enough.”

“How much did you drink before I got here?”

“What do you want to do with the half-breed?” Brian deftly steered the topic back to the matter at hand.

“We could buy one of those chest freezers.”

It was Brian’s turn to raise an eyebrow. 

Justin explained. “I don’t think he’d fit in your freezer, and even if he did, no room for ice. So we buy a chest freezer, kill him, and keep him in there.”

“If all we wanted was him dead I could have left him on the street.”

“How the fuck are we gonna tell his mother about this? Fuck, Brian, where does she think he is now?”

Brian shrugged. There was a knock on the door. “Apparently she thinks he’s here.”

Justin sighed. “I’ll get it.” 

He walked slowly towards the door drink still in hand. His jaw tightened and his stomach turned when he slid the door open.

“Dad.”

“Justin!” 

Brian was up and standing behind Justin within seconds.

The three men stood glaring at each other 'til Craig pushed Justin aside and tried to barrel past Brian into the loft. Brian held his ground not allowing Craig to pass. He wanted to reach for Justin. He wanted to push Craig out the door physically and lock it. But he just stood there, waiting for the bastard to say something.

“I came for my son.”

“He’s right here but I’m not sure he wants to see you.” he glanced towards Justin

Craig sneered a little. “Not him. Aaron.”

“Oh, you have to be more specific. Seems you have a lot of sons. I can’t keep track of them all.”

Craig’s face was bright red, and, Brian noticed, Justin was right. The vein in his forehead did look frighteningly close to bursting when he got like this. Brian remained calm. “I didn’t know you had custody of Aaron.”

Craig sputtered a little. “I…I…I… don’t.”

Oh, then unless there’s an under aged Taylor child I’m unaware of. One that you do have custody of, there’s no one here for you to retrieve.”

“Dad.”

Brian and Justin’s head both snapped to look at Justin. “Dad just… just go.”

“I’m not fucking leaving another one of my kids with this sick bastard!”

Brian took a menacing step forward. Craig stepped back and then stopped himself. He pulled himself up to full height. “Are you threatening me?”

Brian shook his head, his eyes never leaving Craig's. “I’m protecting what’s mine.”

“My son is not yours.”

Brian pulled Justin towards him now. Wrapping an arm around his waist. He tilted his head and smiled a little. “I’m a part of the family Craig. More than you can say. Which makes both of them far more my responsibility than yours.”

Justin was leaning against Brian a little but he met Craig's gaze. “You really should leave.”

“Fuck the both of you.”

Aaron chose that moment to stumble down the steps, bleary eyed, shirtless, wearing only his jeans. 

“What’s going on? You woke me up.”

As Aaron rubbed at his eyes in a manner so like Justin’s it was eerie Brian started to laugh.

Justin’s laughter joined his and the two of them were holding each other and laughing 'til tears came while Aaron and Craig both looked on, perplexed and aggravated.


	6. Chapter 6

  
  


* * *

Brothers Keeper   
Chapter Six

* * *

Aaron was trying to take in the scene. He’d woken up to the sounds of an argument. He’d recognized his father’s voice but not where he was. Then it all started to come back to him.

When he’d stumbled down the steps he just wanted to see what was going on. He also wanted to make sure his father wasn’t still planning on sending him away. He was not prepared for the bizarre reaction Justin and Brian had to his interruption.

They were both insane. That had to be it. Why the fuck were they laughing as if they couldn’t stop. He’d seen Justin mad, and he’d seen Brian pretty pissed as well in the last few days. He’d also seen them joke around together, and laugh a little. This was different. This was… they were bordering on hysteria. 

Aaron turned his attention away from the couple and saw that his father was equally confused and even more irritated than either Brian or Justin had been at any point since he’d met them.

He flashed back to Craig’s rants about Brian, the sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester, and Justin the ungrateful little faggot who was with him.

He tried to attach those labels now to the men he’d been dealing with and they didn’t fit. He eventually stepped back. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He wanted a beer but was pretty sure that would make the situation worse not better.

He took a long drink from the bottle of water and tried to figure out what to say to get this to stop.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Craig watched Aaron stumble down from what he assumed to be the bedroom. He’d never been in the loft before. Hell, technically he was barely in it now. Brian wouldn’t let him get beyond the first few feet but from what he could see there were no other doors. Just one big open space. 

He took in the disheveled look Aaron was sporting. No shoes, no shirt, his face still carrying pillow creases, his hair rumpled. Craig wanted to yank the kid out of there and was about to make a move to do so when Brian and Justin started laughing. It wasn’t a chuckle, or a bemused grunt of humor…it was bordering on hysteria. He watched as the two became red faced and held on to each other in an attempt not to fall down from laughing so hard. He would never understand Justin, or what he saw in this freak that had been leading him around and into danger since he’d met him.

His anger was growing and Aaron's obvious comfort with the loft itself wasn’t making him any less furious.

He’d lost Justin. He’d tried to talk to him. He’d tried to reason with him. And eventually he’d made some really bad moves as far as rebuilding their relationship, but that was years ago. He’d given up on the little faggot. Jenn had obviously won him in the divorce. The divorce was mostly Justin’s fault anyway. He wasn’t going to lose Aaron.

He moved around the pair who were seemingly getting a grip on themselves finally. “Aaron, I think you’d better come with me.”

“Fuck you dad.”

Craig sighed. He’d heard this part before. He was going to try to keep his calm but if he got the, “it’s just a fuck”, line again, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep himself from flying off the handle. He took a deep breath.

“Aaron, this is no place for a kid your age. Come with me. I’ll take you back to your mom and the three of us can talk.”

Justin interrupted them. “Bad idea dad.”

“Justin, this really isn’t your affair.”

“You really want to bring up the term affair?”

“Justin. Stay out of it. You’ve done enough.”

“So have you. Why don’t you just walk away? You’re so good at that.”

“Justin.” Craig’s tone was warning.

“What? You can’t threaten me dad. You’ve got nothing left to hold over me. And you don’t have custody of Aaron. You can’t take him. So just get the fuck out of here.”

“This isn’t your apartment. You can’t kick me out.”

Justin shrugged. “No, my names not on the deed. But it’s my home.” He turned to Brian. “Can I kick him out?”

Brian smiled. “If you want. Although I was kind of looking forward to doing it myself.”

“Well, it is YOUR apartment” Justin said, smirking, and making an elaborate show of moving away to allow Brian access to Craig.

Brian took a step forward. Craig refused to back away.

Suddenly Aaron was between the two of them. “Um, hey, guys. Not to, you know, make an issue of it or anything. But this isn’t about either of you, so can we stop the pissing contest now?”

Justin actually grinned a little. As much as he’d love to see Brian throw Craig out on his ass, the kid was right. Brian and Craig had fought, in their own ways, for their places in Justin’s life. And, it seemed to Justin, they had both ended up right where they’d wanted to be. So why not bring the actual current issue into focus?

“He’s got a point.”

Brian and Craig both looked at Justin and each took a step away from one another. 

“He should come home with me.”

“That’s not gonna happen.”

Craig looked at Justin. “He can’t stay here.”

“He’s gonna go home. To Alicia. I’ll take him.”

“Justin. I…”

“I know dad. You don’t want him here. You don’t want him near your freak of a son or his sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester of a boyfriend but you don’t get to make the call on this one.”

Brian was watching Craig closely. Justin was far more confident than he’d ever seen him around the man before. But that didn’t make Brian more confident that Craig was going to behave.

“Justin, this really isn’t any of your business. Why don’t you go back to whatever you were doing before this all started and let his mother and me decide what the next step is.”

Justin shook his head. “It became MY business when he showed up on MY doorstep because he was afraid of you. It’s MY business because he’s my half brother. It’s MY business because I know first hand what listening to you can do to a kid trying to figure out who he is. So FUCK OFF!” 

Craig was beyond angry now. He took a step towards Justin fists balled. He came up short against an immovable object.

“Leave Craig.”

Brian was standing chest to chest with him and when Craig shifted Brian did too. 

“Brian.” Justin's voice was calmer. He laid a hand on the man’s arm. Brian didn’t move. 

“It’s my home Craig. Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Brian took a step forward.

Craig could push back, but he wasn’t sure he could take this man, and he didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. Or he could step back. 

He turned and left. “This isn’t over.”

“Yes it is.” Brian said as he slammed the industrial metal door closed.

“Well, that was bracing.” Justin smiled but Brian wasn’t ready yet. 

“He’s such a fucking asshole.”

“Thank you.” Aaron said it in a small voice. He was angry with Justin. Yeah, he resented the fuck out of him, but he didn’t want to see him get hurt. And he really didn’t want to go back with Craig.

“You. Sit.” Brian turned his attention to Aaron and pointed to one of the chairs around the dining table. 

Aaron wasn’t about to argue with Brian at this point. He didn’t know him well enough to know if that face was just for effect or if he was really that angry. 

Brian sat across from him at the table. Justin pulled a couple of beers from the fridge and put one in front of Brian. He opened his own and joined them at the table. He was interested in what Brian was going to say next. And his heart rate was still working on getting back to normal. Okay, maybe he was a little more afraid of his father than he was willing to admit. And he’d never seen him that mad before… well, once, when he had beaten up Brian but that was years ago. He took a long pull from the beer bottle and leaned back a little waiting for Brian to start.

Brian took the beer, grateful to have something to do with his hands other than throttle the both of them.

Justin fucking taunting his father like that. Goddammit he thought the kid was smarter than that… he was gonna have to kill Craig one of these days just to make sure he stayed the hell away from Justin.

And Aaron. He didn’t know where to start with his anger. Peddling his little twink ass on the streets. Dragging everyone into his fucking drama. His seemingly endless ability to pretend it was no big deal. 

Brian put the bottle down and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t sure he’d had a headache this bad since he’d ended up with a duffle bag full of Justin's underwear and that stupid ass Yellow Submarine tape. 

Justin saw Brian’s expression and headed towards the bathroom. He found the migraine meds that Brian swore he never needed. He was a little concerned when he saw that the bottle was almost empty. He filed away the information to nag Brian about it later.

He sat back down, putting the pill in front of Brian. He smiled and swallowed it. 

“There are gonna be some fucking rules.”

Justin was amused, and a little surprised. Aaron was just pissed off and opened his mouth to say so.

“Shut the fuck up.” He looked at Aaron and then turned his attention to Justin. You wanna tell him the rules or should I?”

Justin shrugged. He had no fucking clue what rules Brian was talking about. They had rules once… but those couldn’t be what he meant. The rest seemed fucking obvious…although now that he thought about it he realized apparently Aaron didn’t find them as obvious. 

“You go. I’ll add stuff if I need to.”

Brian nodded. “You are not selling your ass, or any other part of your body.”

Aaron opened his mouth, one could only assume to again profess his innocence. 

Justin held up his hand. “Let him finish.”

Aaron shut his mouth again.

“You are NOT going to clubs alone and letting guys you don’t know get you drunk.  
You are NOT taking any fucking drugs from anyone you don’t know.”

Aaron looked up a little surprised at this, but Justin shrugged at him and he continued to listen to Brian’s litany of rules.

“You stay fucking HOME on a school night. Don’t piss off the jocks…especially the baseball players.  
If you’re gonna find some kid your age and fuck around with him. If you’re gonna find anyone and fuck around with him and you don’t use a condom I’ll personally remove your dick. Any questions?”

“How am I supposed to know people well enough to get drugs from them if I’m not allowed to go to clubs and let guys buy me drinks?”

Brian dropped his head onto the table. “He’s all yours.”

Justin bit his lip and pretended to be thinking. He was really just trying not to laugh. Yeah, okay, they were good rules, in general. But not for his half-breed. 

“Aaron. No clubbing. No fucking without a condom. And no coming back here because you’re too wasted to go home.”

“So I should just go back with whatever guy I’m with.”

“No.” They said it in unison.

“Well what the fuck. How am I supposed to get laid if I’m not allowed to go to clubs, drink or go back to his place?”

“There’s a nice alley between Pistol and Popperz. You could try the bathrooms at Boy-Toy. And stay the fuck out of Meathook.” Brian was mumbling this against the table. He still didn’t have the energy to lift his head.

“This sucks.”

“No. That’s kind of the point.”

“So I’m just not supposed to get laid.”

“Can’t you get laid at school like everyone else?”

“Is that what you did?”

“Sure, I sucked off my gym teacher.” 

“Brian!”

Aaron laughed. Brian turned his head to stare at Justin who glared at him. “Tell that story to him and I’ll remove your dick.”

“Okay. Fine. Fuck the swim team.”

“I did.”

Brian sighed. “What time does your mother expect you home?”

“Not 'til late. She won’t be home 'til really late. It’s Monday. She watches her boss’s kid on Monday night.”

“What?”

Aaron shrugged. “She watches his kid Monday nights so he can play poker and his wife go to some meeting or something and then he doesn’t give her shit about the days when she has to take off ‘cause I’m sick or whatever.”

Brian nodded. "Whatever. So you need to go home soon, it’s almost seven.”

“No she doesn’t come home 'til midnight on Mondays.”

“You need to go home soon.”

“I’ll take him. Go lay down. I’m hoping you won’t have a headache when I get back.”

Brian nodded. “Wait, you’re taking the ‘vette?”

“Can we pretend we already had the argument and skip to the part where you remember you gave me a set of keys to it.”

“Oh yeah, that. Go. Don’t fuck up my car.”

“Yes, you’d be sad if I got blood all over your interior.”

“Very.”

“Hour tops.”

“Mmmmmm hmmm.”

Justin knew the pain meds were kicking in. And that this little drama had pretty much worn Brian out. He leaned over to kiss him and bit his earlobe. “Move to the couch. If you’re too stiff to fuck me I’m gonna be pissed.” He whispered.

“Too stiff to fuck you? That’s an oxymoron.”

“And you’re just a moron. I’ll be back.”

He left, hustling Aaron out with him. 

Brian stood up and arched his back, realizing he would end up stiff if he slept with his head on the table. He moved to the sofa and sprawled out on his back mindlessly flipping through the channels and trying not to think about what Justin was telling Aaron, or how close Craig had come to actually hitting Justin. His jaw clenched. Yeah, he had to kill Craig.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~*~**~

Once they were both in the car and headed towards Aaron's house Aaron seemed to relax a little.

Justin started.  
“Dad’s pretty fucking intense.”

“So was Brian.”

“They don’t like each other much.”

“I noticed.”

“He thinks you’re gay ‘cause of Brian.”

“I’m not.”

“Duh. So did Brian mean it about all those rules?”

“Yeah. He left some out but it’s not like you’re gonna listen to him anyway.”

“Maybe I will.”

“You should. And you should listen to me. Craig is pissed. Craig will do anything to keep you from becoming like me. He hates me.”

“I don’t think he really hates you.”

“No. He didn’t always. He does now. He’s twisted things in his head to make a lot of shit my fault. Shit that has nothing to do with me. But that’s not the point. The point is that his head is pretty fucking twisted. And I don’t care if you want to go out and get laid.”

“Yes you do.”

“Okay, yes I do. But I’ll get over that. However, you need to recognize that you’re in very real danger of ending up at some place that tortures you for being gay.”

“Pfft, that’s so not gonna happen.”

Justin pulled the car onto a side street and came to a complete stop. He turned his head so he could give Aaron his complete attention. “Yes. It is.”

“My dad wouldn’t… my mom… it’s…”

“Listen to me Aaron. Brian called me and not your mom. Why do you think that is?”

“Because he barely knows my mom.”

“Yes and he’s very shy. Skittish around strangers even.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. 

“Why do you think he called me?”

“’Cause he luuuuuuurves you.” Aaron made a face.

“No, he calls me because of that three times a day. Why do you think he called me when he found you on the street? Fucking think about it twat.”

Aaron shrugged. “Because he didn’t know what to do?”

“Brian always knows what to do. He called me because he couldn’t take you home. _He_ can’t be the one who drags you out of clubs. _He_ can’t be the one who deposits you back on your mother’s doorstep. And he’s _not_ gonna be the one who tells her what her little angel’s been up to while he was supposed to be at school. Because he and I both know where that will leave you.”

Aaron seemed to finally understand. “You really think dad would do that?”

“We both do. Your mother thinks it’s a good idea. She can’t afford it. He can. And he will. And I’m not playing mission impossible to rescue you. You can’t get mail, and you can’t take phone calls… so once you’re in there, you’re fucked. And not in the way you’re looking for.”

“I think you’re…”

“You think I’m right. And you’re scared. You know what? Good, you should be scared. You should be fucking terrified. I can help you, and I’ll try. But I can’t fucking do it if you’re locked up in god’s tabernacle of the holy pussy.”

“Where?”

“Whatever that place is called.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Yeah, tell you what. ONE night of clubbing a week. NO drugs. NO going to the back room and you can hit on all the twinks you want.”

“You’re gonna go with me?”

“Would you prefer Brian escort you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s why I’m taking you.”

“Do you think dad’s mad enough now? I mean you and Brian really pissed him off.”

“I don’t know. He’s pissed. Try not to let him get to you. But Aaron, you’re going to have to be more careful. And I don’t mean about getting caught. I mean about what you’re doing.”

“But I only have to worry if I get caught.”

Justin sighed. “No. You only have to worry about Craig and your mom if you get caught. And me and Brian.”

“Brian’s harmless.”

“Keep thinking that. It’s like playing with a baby tiger. They’re cute…'til they’re not.”

“Pfft, he’s more like a big ol' puppy.”

“I’ll tell him you said that.”

Aaron looked stricken. “Christ, it would also just be generally helpful if you got past the part where you have a crush on Brian. He doesn’t need the aggravation right now.”

“’Cause he’s got you?”

“Sure, lets go with that. I’m all the aggravation he can handle.”

“Pfft, you don’t aggravate him.”

“Trust me. I’m one of the most annoying things in his life. And if you’re around enough, you’ll hear him tell me so.”

“He doesn’t mean it.”

“Aaron, you know very little about anything at this point in your life and absolutely nothing about me and Brian. But he does mean it.”

“So what’s he doing with you?”

“It’s more aggravating when I’m not around.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“I know.”

“You two are twisted.”

“We know”

“Are you sure it’s safe for me to go home?”

“We’ll see. Bottom line. Are you gonna watch it or are you hoping to have electrodes attached to your testicles?”

Aaron shuddered. “I’ll be good. But when can we go to a club?”

“ _If_ you go to school for the rest of the week, and _if_ you don’t cause any more shit then Friday night.”

“You’ll be back?”

“Pfft, like I trust you. I’m staying the week and I’ll be checking up on you.”

“You are not.”

Justin gave him a determined glance as he started the car and headed towards Aaron's house. 

He dropped Aaron off. The lights were off the house was empty. “You have a key?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be here at seven tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“To drive you to school.”

“Fuck.”

Justin smiled and watched Aaron go inside the house. He headed back to the loft.

 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

All the lights were out in the loft when Justin opened the door. He slid the door shut as quietly as possible but saw Brian stir on the sofa.

“Half-breed get home okay?”

“He’s in for the night.”

“You read him the riot act.”

“I explained the possible immediate consequences of his actions.”

“Does he get it?”

Justin was laying between Brian's legs, his back against his chest. Brian’s arm wrapped around his waist. He still hadn’t turned any of the lights on and they were talking in hushed voices. Apparently Brian’s headache was not completely gone.

“I think so.”

“They’re gonna send that kid to torture camp.”

“He’ll be good.”

“Yeah, he’s proven that.”

“He has incentive. I promised to take him out on Friday night if he behaved for the rest of the week.”

“Take him out? You’re dating your half-breed now?”

“No, I’ll take him to Pistol or Boy-Toy. But only if he’s good for the rest of the week.”

“You’re coming back on Friday?”

“No, I’m staying for the week.”

Brian's arm pulled Justin a little closer, held Justin a little tighter. “Is he gonna take up all our time this week?”

“No. But I have to find some studio space. I still have work to do on some stuff for that show.”

“I have the perfect spot.”

“Really?” Justin was only half paying attention. Brian was sucking on his earlobe, and doing things to the skin on his neck that weren’t conducive to conversation.

“I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“Oh and I need the car tomorrow morning. I have to drive Aaron to school.”

“You’re killing me here Sunshine.”

“Do you want to rent me a car for the week?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Mmmmmm, just keep doing that.”

“This?” Brian asked innocently as his fingers continued to tweak Justin's nipples under his shirt.

“Mmmmmm that.” Justin’s eyes were half closed and he was beginning to forget about the half-breed. “How’s your headache.”

“All gone.”

“Wanna go to bed?”

“It’s early.”

“Wasn’t talking about sleeping.”

Brian growled and followed Justin to the bedroom. Sleep was a long time coming… they weren’t…at least the first time.


	7. Chapter 7

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper  
Chapter Seven

* * *

Justin woke up first, and he was already running late. He kissed Brian's temple but could tell from his breathing he was still asleep. Getting dressed quickly he left a note on the bathroom mirror where he was sure Brian would see it and headed out to pick up his half-breed.

Aaron was ready and Alicia thanked him for driving Aaron to school. She had no idea he’d missed the previous day. “I just want to make sure he’s okay. Kids can be cruel.”

A flash of fear clouded Alicia's face and Justin realized that she knew about the bashing. “Alicia, he’ll be fine.”

She smiled a little and Aaron brushed past both of them. “Can we go?”

“Be right there. Get in the car and don’t touch the radio.”

Aaron ignored him and Justin took the moment to put a hand on Alicia's arm. “He’ll be okay. And I’d like it if he could stay with me on Friday.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he should stay home.”

“It’s your decision, but I just found out I have a brother. I’d kind of like to get to know him.” Justin knew he was laying it on thick, but he needed Alicia's consent. Without it god knows where Aaron would be come Friday night. 

“Okay, I guess one night won’t hurt him.”

Justin smiled and then turned his head in aggravation as Aaron leaned on the horn. “Well I guess that’s my cue.”

Alicia laughed a little and Justin headed back towards the car. Aaron leaned out. “Mom, I’ve got swim practice after school. I won’t be home 'til five.” He waved as Justin started the car and followed Aaron’s directions towards his school.

“Do you really have swim practice?”

“Yes.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No. You can fucking check if you don’t believe me.”

“When’s your next meet?”

“A week from Saturday.”

“Maybe I’ll come.”

Aaron shrugged. “If you want.” Justin saw the small smile. Dammit, he wasn’t sure he’d still be in Pittsburgh a week from Saturday. “If I’m in town I’ll be there.”

“Cool.”

“Do you need a note or something?”

“For what?”

“You weren’t in school yesterday.”

“Oh I’ve got one.”

“You told your mom?” 

Aaron gave a bright smile. No, but I learned how to do her signature pretty damn well.”

“Forgery, excellent. You have all kinds of non marketable skills don’t you?”

“You’d be surprised how marketable my skills are.”

“No. I wouldn’t. Now be good for like, four days…in a row. Consider it a favor to your big brother.”

“Christ, I don’t need a big brother.”

“No, you need a babysitter, but you’re stuck with me.”

“And Brian.”

“We’re leaving him as far out of this as we can.”

“Yeah, he seems really content to stay out of your life.”

“My life… no, he’d micromanage that if he could. Your life… he’s staying out of it.”

“Whatever.”

He pulled up in front of the school.

“I’ll pick you up at five.”

Aaron rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

Justin watched him actually enter the building. He couldn’t stand there all day making sure he didn’t leave. He was going to have to trust him a little.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was back at the loft by quarter to eight. Brian was already in the shower. Justin slid in behind him.

“Morning.”

“My car okay?”

“I totaled it.”

“Well then, you’ll have to be punished.”

“Oh really?”

“Mmmmmm hmmm.” Brian’s eyes were showing his amusement and Justin leaned in to kiss him. 

“Why do you always threaten to spank me in the shower?”

“Because when you’re naked and soaking wet you look like you’re eight years old.”

“That’s kind of sick.”

“You’re the one hanging out with a sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester.”

“I guess we’re both kind of sick.”

Brian’s hands were working the shampoo into a lather, massaging Justin's scalp. 

“Have I mentioned that I miss this?”

“Every time you come back and we’re in the shower.”

“We should patent your hands.”

“You should come back more often.”

“I’m here for the week.”

“Good.”

“Mmmmmm that feels good.” Brian's hands had moved lower and he was sliding slippery fingers between Justin's crack. Pulling him closer to his own erection with his fingers.

Justin leaned up to kiss Brian and spluttered as his mouth ended up full of water. Brian laughed. Justin coughed a little and Brian spun him around, pushing his face against the familiar tile. He began kissing down Justin’s back. “You okay?”

“I need to learn to breathe under water.”

Brian was licking the water off of Justin’s wet skin, which was flushed red from passion and the moist heat of the steam. “I don’t know, I like leaving you breathless.”

Justin moaned a little as Brian kissed the spot where his back started to curve into his ass. “God Brian.”

Brian spread his cheeks apart, moving his head to let the hot water slide between them. Justin arched towards the sensation and Brian’s tongue followed the water stream, moving deeper into Justin. 

Justin's face was pressed against the shower wall, his hands splayed against the tile, his body arching towards Brian. Moaning as Brian's hand encircled his erection and began stroking it slowly. Too slowly. Justin tried to push into the strokes, tried to speed up the rhythm but Brian was insistent on keeping things at his own pace. 

Justin gave up. If Brian was going to play this game, the best thing to do was enjoy it. He bucked backwards onto Brian's tongue and felt himself open and ready. He wanted Brian inside him now. He started to say something to that effect but Brian pulled away. “Don’t talk Justin. I’ll get you there. I promise.”

He remained non-verbal. He couldn’t stop the noises he was making, and Brian’s grunts and moans echoing in the shower stall were driving him over the edge.

Finally he felt Brian's fingers inside him. They pushed deep and his involuntary moan was loud. “Brian please.”

“I said don’t talk.”

Justin shuddered at the gravely sound of Brian's voice. He knew Brian was as close as he was. He whimpered a little when Brian pulled his fingers out but spread his legs wider in anticipation of what would replace them.

He heard Brian huff out a laugh but also felt him reach for a condom from the soap tray. “Now Brian!”

“Only because you asked so nicely.” Brian pushed inside him, sucking hard on his neck as he did so. 

Justin couldn’t move for a minute. Pressed against the warm wet tile, his body impaled on Brian. The heat of Brian's mouth on his shoulder. The heat of Brian’s body pinning him in place. They were both perfectly still for a few moments. Letting the heat of the water and their need permeate everything.

Finally Brian began to move inside him. Swiveling his hips a bit and snapping his pelvis against Justin's ass, causing him to moan each time Brian moved. He felt the sharp bite of Brian’s fingers digging into his hips and reached back to pull Brian's head down. Turning his own to kiss the corner of his mouth. He felt Brian’s tongue against his ear and shivered. And then Brian angled himself inside just right and there was nothing but electricity shooting through him. White hot, almost too much. And a few strokes later he came. Shuddering and panting.

He would have collapsed if Brian's arms hadn’t moved around him, holding him against his strong lean body while he continued to stroke him from the inside. He gasped and felt Brian’s orgasm. Felt Brian's breathing change. Felt Brian’s heart rate speed up so much he could feel it beating against his back. 

Brian held him still then. Like when they’d first started this. It seemed like moments ago, and a lifetime ago. Neither moving. Allowing their bodies to drift back to reality. 

Eventually Brian turned him around and kissed him. The water hitting their faces as their tongues explored and tasted. 

The hot water ran out and they were both actually clean. Justin collapsed on the bed. Brian started his morning ritual. Shaving, fucking around with his hair and products for twenty minutes, so that it looked like he’d never really thought about it. 

Finally he emerged from the bathroom and started to get dressed. Justin was slowly coming back to earth.

“You’re amazing you know that?”

Brian smiled. “I’ve been told.”

“Yeah I forgot. Ego’s fine.”

“You’re pretty fucking good yourself.”

“Yeah. Fuck.”

“No time, we’ve got stuff to do.”

“I know. I need to find studio space. And I need to call the gallery, and I should probably call my mom and let her know I’m gonna be around for the week.”

“Do you have to?”

“I’m a good son.”

“Fuck off…I’d be a good son if I had a mom like yours.”

“Fair enough.”

Brian was dressed now. He looked fucking breathtaking.

“That’s a terrible suit.”

Brian looked down at what he was wearing. Light gray Prada, perfectly tailored. Deep blue shirt and matching tie. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I need to take it off of you now.”

Brian smirked. Later, I have a noon meeting I can’t miss…let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“I told you, we’ve got shit to do.”

Justin started rummaging through his duffle bag for something to wear. Brian sighed. He threw a shopping bag at him. “Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Your Christmas present.”

“It’s September.”

“Just fucking put it on.”

Justin opened it to find a pair of [ Jeans ](http://www.eluxury.com/browse/product_detail.jhtml;%24sessionid%24CIGPTEZSESWQRLAUALPCFEQ?styleid=11069599&program-id=780&ad-id=57&_requestid=124029) and the most amazing blue [ t-shirt ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/blueshirt.jpg) he’d ever seen. It was soft. “What’s it made out of?”

“Brian shrugged. “I don’t know, I saw it. I bought it.”

“You bought this for me? Brian what am I gonna do with a Prada t-shirt that costs more than I spend on utilities for a month?”

“Everything you own is covered in paint. I thought I might take you out to dinner one of these visits…if we ever got out of the bed.”

“Thanks.”

Justin put them on. They fit perfectly but he wasn’t surprised. Brian may be clueless, or pretend not to care about a lot of things. He knew every inch of Justin's body.

“You look hot.”

Justin checked himself in the mirror. “Yeah I do. These will come in handy when I’m picking up guys in New York.”

“The clothes stay in Pittsburgh.” Brian growled. Justin laughed

“Don’t worry, I haven’t picked up a trick in months.”

“Months?”

“Well, weeks.”

“Weeks?”

“Well what day is it.”

Brian pulled him forward by his waistband. “No picking up tricks hotter than I am.”

“There’s no one hotter than you.”

“Good. remember that…now let’s go.”

Justin followed him out deciding not to ask too many questions. 

First Brian drove them to the office. Cynthia handed him a box and he took it and walked out.

“Brian.”

“What? Here.”

“What is this?

He rolled his eyes. “It’s a phone.”

“Brian.”

“You fucking need a phone.”

But this is… a _really_ nice phone.

“Don’t step on this one.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, and here.”

“What’s this?”

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you wake up retarded?”

“What’s it a key to?”

“That.”

“That?”

“Justin. Please take a moment, get your brain working and then we’ll talk.”

Brian lit a cigarette and went to lean against the SUV he’d pointed to. 

“You bought a bigger car.”

“Good. You’re catching up. No room for the car seats for Gus and JR in the ‘vette.”

“They’re in Toronto.”

“But Gus is coming for Thanksgiving.”

“With Mel and Lindz?”

“Lindsay’s coming. Mel’s not sure.”

“So you bought a bigger car.”

“And I’m keeping the ‘vette.”

“And you want me to drive this for the week.”

“Oh thank god. Your brain is working again.”

“Okay this’ll do. Now you said you had an idea for studio space?”

“Yeah, lets go. You drive, but don’t fuck up the new car.”

“Promise. Where are we going?”

“Babylon.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s empty, it’s well lit, and upstairs offices have huge industrial windows.”

“Hey, that would be a perfect place to…”

A look from Brian made Justin shut up…but it couldn’t get him to stop smiling.

“Might as well use it for something 'til I figure out what I’m gonna do with the place.”

“You should reopen.” Justin had parked and Brian was opening the door. 

They both stepped inside, neither saying another word.

The quiet was eerie. The space was empty. No bar. No dance floor. Just the iron steps that led to the catwalk, and a spiral staircase that led to the offices. 

They held hands as they walked through a place that used to be as familiar to both of them as the loft. Now it was… blank. But the memories still lingered.

They walked up the steps slowly, surveying the area from above they way they used to when picking out tricks together. Or just fucking around with Ted Emmett and Michael. “Christ. It’s so…. clean”

Brian laughed. “Almost a shame to let it get dirty.”

“I don’t know. I think you’d have fun reopening.”

“Have to market heavily, most of the traffic’s moved on.”

“I have faith you could do it. You did it before.”

“I know I could. I don’t know if I want to.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Don’t want to become another version of the Sap.”

“Well, make sure Ted doesn’t cook the books and that you pay your taxes.”

Brian shot Justin a look. “Not really sure I want to be the aging club boy.”

“You’ll always be my sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester, even if you never reopen the place.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

They stepped away and headed to the office space. The huge industrial windows let in an astounding amount of light from two walls. The room, like the rest of the place was bare. 

Justin was walking around entranced by the space. “Just tell me what you need, I’ll get it here.”

“Fuck, Brian it’s gonna cost a fortune to do that and it’s only for a week. Don’t we have a folding table? I can get some canvas and paint and…”

Brian put his arms around him and held him close. “This isn’t temporary. Even if I turn the place back into Babylon… or rent it out as flex space. You should have a studio here. And not in the fucking loft.”

“So this is about keeping paint off your hardwood floors?’

“And not hearing you curse at a canvas at four in the morning.”

“Brian, I have studio space in New York, I mean, I live there, but the whole place, you know, it’s mostly studio…”

“Justin, I’ve been to your place in New York remember?”

“Oh yeah.”

“So why the fuck are you telling me this?”

“Because…”

Brian quirked an eyebrow.

“Don’t get mad.”

“Fuck.”

“I said _don’t_ get mad.”

“That sentence never precedes something I want to hear.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m ready yet. I’m not. It’s not time for me to come back.”

“I know that.”

“You understand. I’m not saying never. I’m saying not now… not yet.”

“But you’re gonna have to come back sometimes. I get busy at the office and can’t get away for weeks. You’ll need to stop by so I can fuck you.”

“There is that.”

“And this way while I’m busy with clients you can work.”

“You’re sure?”

“Justin. Would you let me do one goddamned thing for you today without playing twenty questions first.”

“One?”

“One.”

“Fine. I’ll get what I need to start working.”

“Not in those clothes.”

“No shit. I get paint on these I won’t be able to sit for a week.”

“Two weeks.”

“You know, while it’s still clean and paint free, we should probably christen my new space.”

Brian looked at his watch. “I’ve got a couple hours.”

“Hours huh? You’re feeling pretty ambitious old man.”

Brian pulled Justin forward, allowing his body to cushion Justin's fall when they both crashed to the floor.

Brian was late for his noon meeting. Justin dropped him off quickly and headed towards the art supply store with Brian’s credit card and a promise he would repay him for the expense. He had a feeling Brian ignored the last part.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin spent the rest of the afternoon dragging easels and paints and canvas and stretchers and a shit load of other stuff up the steps and considered making Brian give him the first floor for studio space. But he really did think Babylon should rise from the dead. 

He thought it would be good for Brian. He also agreed with Michael that keeping it closed let those fuckers win. 

When he glanced back at his watch it was almost five. He rushed out realizing he’d be late to pick up Aaron.

“Fucker better still be there.”

He was. Aaron was leaning against pole of the soccer goal, smoking a cigarette and talking to some guy. Justin honked his horn and Aaron looked up confused. Then Justin remembered he’d never seen the car. He leaned out the window and waved Aaron towards him.

Aaron dropped his cigarette and headed towards the vehicle. “Where’s the ‘vette?”

“Brian’s got it. I’m using this for the week.”

“The ‘vette is cooler.”

“I’m very concerned about how cool you look getting into my car. Who was that?”

“Joey.”

“You two crazy kids.”

“He’s in deep shit too. His mother and father are sending him to a different school.”

“Where?”

Aaron shrugged. “Just some other public school on the other side of the city. But he’s fucking lucky. They’re buying him a car just so he can get there and back.”

“They must not be too upset.”

“No his parents are cool, they just think he’d be… safer or something.”

Justin nodded. It probably was safer to stay in the closet in high school. He hated the thought but wasn’t all that happy about the thought of Aaron going through the bullshit he’d had to. “Anything interesting happen today?”

“I was at school.”

“So no.”

Justin pulled up to Aaron's house. 

“You wanna come in or something?”

Justin pulled his keys out of the ignition and followed Aaron. I’ll be right there. Gotta make a call.

“You in a meeting?”

“No.”

“I’m at Aaron's. The studio’s pretty much done, they’re delivering a couple of things tomorrow. And I need a mini fridge or something.”

“You want me to order one?”

“I’ll pick one up on the way back to the loft.”

“I should be finished by seven tonight.”

“Dinner?”

“Out or…”

“I’ll order something. I feel like staying in.”

“You’re gonna rush off to the studio the minute you finish eating aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Lets make this easier. Meet you at the studio at seven thirty. I’ll bring dinner, you bring the fridge and beer.”

“Deal.”

“Later.”

“Later.”

Justin closed the phone and stepped inside the house. It was small, but had a comfortable lived in feel to it.

“So just you and your mom here?”

“Well, dad lived her for a while, but that was when I was little.”

“How little.”

“Like ten”

Justin did the math in his head. Craig moved here right after the divorce. He was staying here after the bashing too. This is where he was all the times he never came to visit him. He pushed the thought away. It wasn’t Aaron's fault. 

Aaron had turned on the TV and his PS2. “Nice setup.”

“Christmas present from dad a few years ago.”

“Yeah, he gets all that shit wholesale.”

Aaron shrugged. “So? I still have the best gaming system of all my friends.”

“So he’s good for something.”

“You ever play this one?”

“Do I get to beat up hookers?”

“Yeah, and shoot guys.”

“Cool.”

They sat and played, not really talking about anything. Only speaking to yell at the game or mock each other. Alicia came in and found them like that at quarter after six.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“I’m sorry, I guess we got carried away with the game.”

“Only cause you wouldn’t stop while I was winning.”

Justin shot him a glance Alicia laughed. They did act a lot like brothers. 

“Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“I’d love to, but I can’t. Maybe another night?”

Alicia nodded and Justin grabbed his keys and phone. He handed a slip of paper to Alicia. “This is my cell, and the number at the loft. I’ll be in town for the week if you need to get in touch with me.”

“Thank you.”

“Aaron, I’ll see you tomorrow at seven.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the game.

Justin stopped at the local Big Q and bought a dorm-sized refrigerator. Then he stopped at a pizza place nearby where they sold six packs. He picked up a couple and tried to be amused that they asked for ID.

He had the fridge plugged in, the beer put away, and his own bottle half empty by the time Brian showed up with his favorite, _Muscles Fra Diablo_ from Mama Lucia’s and lots of garlic bread.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Craig was on his third martini. The room was dark, and he didn’t feel like getting up to turn the lights on. He kept mulling the whole situation over in his head. And he still couldn’t figure out where he’d gone wrong.

He popped the olive in his mouth and poured himself another from the pitcher he’d made earlier. He was going to figure this out. He chewed thoughtfully.

He knew he’d blown it with Justin. That was a ship that had sailed and well, good riddance to bad rubbish. He had tried. Jennifer had never given him credit for that. Neither had Justin, but those two had always been a single unit. Maybe that’s what went wrong.

Maybe he’d let Jennifer smother the boy. Maybe… he stopped. This wasn’t about Justin anymore. Aaron was still not lost. He still had a chance to keep this thing with Aaron from becoming the train wreck Justin had created.

He hadn’t been there enough for Aaron. He knew that. And growing up with just his mother…Aaron and Alicia were pretty close. Maybe he’d made the very same mistake. But that didn’t work. Millions of kids were raised by their mothers. Not every single-family household produced a gay kid. So what the fuck was this thing with Aaron.

He knew Alicia knew about Justin and Jennifer but she wouldn’t fill Aaron's head with stories of what a wonderful half brother he had…would she? He shook his head. Alicia was as confused and disgusted by this as he was. It wasn’t her. And it wasn’t him, that’s for damn sure. He was straight.

And Aaron had so much potential. None of that art crap. The kid wrestled, and was on the swim team. He’d played JV soccer, and was constantly riding his bike or on his skateboard, or just playing the violent video games that Alicia hated, but Craig had sworn would do no permanent damage. 

So what the fuck went wrong?

He still couldn’t figure it out. It had to be stopped. That’s what he knew. And it wasn’t just about Aaron suddenly finding a comfortable spot in Justin’s life. In that fucking asshole Kinney’s loft. IN FUCKING KINNEY’S BED!

He threw the glass against the wall and it thunked unbroken to the carpet. Disappointed Craig got up and poured himself a straight double gin.

Aaron was a good kid. Smart, funny, friendly, always had other friends at the house. Not like Justin at all. Justin had hung out with that girl, but he couldn’t remember any other kids coming over. Justin had always been different. Aaron was just a kid. A good kid. What the hell happened?

More importantly, what the hell was going to happen? He could picture it now. Aaron, with some guy. Someone who objected taking out his anger on him. Justin had almost died. What if whoever got to Aaron was more accurate, more violent, more determined?

Fuck. He had to stop this.

He picked up the brochures he’d collected. He’d had them for a while. Jennifer had adamantly refused. Threatened to take away any rights he had towards Molly if he tried to take Justin to one of these places. Alicia thought they might be a good idea.

And the guy who ran the place he thought would work best said they could take the kid as early as next Monday.

It would only be a month, he’d said. Six weeks at the outside and Aaron would come back better. He’d come back understanding more. He’d come back safe. Craig knew he was going to hear holy hell from Aaron about it. But Aaron was a kid… he didn’t get to make this choice.

And Justin, and Brian, well, they might pay him a call, but he wasn’t scared anymore. Not of Brian. Not of Justin’s anger. He was scared for Aaron. He really loved the kid. Aaron didn’t know how much danger he was putting himself in.

He’d talk to Alicia tomorrow. He needed her approval or he admit the him. She had sole custody. She could sign him out. But he had to do something. He’d lost Justin. he wouldn’t lose Aaron, and he knew someday Aaron would thank him.


	8. Chapter 8

  
  


* * *

****

Brothers Keeper  
Chapter Eight

* * *

Justin dropped Aaron off at school with a promise/threat to pick him back up at three. He put on the insanely unnecessary blue tooth headset Brian had insisted upon to go with his phone.

Justin had told him to return it. Brian had told him that it was cheaper than the cost of replacing the car when he totaled it because he was on the phone. Justin told him to stop spending insane amounts of money on him. Brian told Justin that there was no one else on whom he’d like to spend insane amounts of money.

Justin let the whole thing go and took the headphone. Brian pretended it was a favor to him and that he hadn’t already known where the conversation would end when it started. 

Justin was still smiling about it when Molly answered the phone.

“Hey Molly, is mom around?”

“I think she left for work already.”

“I’ll call her there. Why aren’t you in school?”

“Why aren’t you in New York?”

“Bite me.”

“I’m leaving now. Stop acting like you’re a grown up.”

“I am.”

“Whatever.”

Molly hung up and Justin laughed. Apparently that attitude was either simply a teenage thing or a Taylor trait, he couldn’t decide which.

He called his mothers office. “Hi mom.”

“Justin, I was about to call you.”

“Why?”

“Rumor has it you’re in town for the week.”

“I was calling to let you know.”

“On Wednesday.”

“I thought I stopped having to give you my daily itinerary once I moved out.”

“You thought wrong.”

“Fine, I’m here, in Pittsburgh, that’s why I called. I was wondering if you were free for lunch.”

“Let me see. I’ve got an appointment at two. Can we meet at twelve thirty?”

“Sure, where?”

“I found this great Italian place…”

“Had Italian for dinner last night. Indian?”

“I can’t smell like curry while I’m showing million dollar houses.”

“Mexican?”

“How ‘bout the diner?”

“Too busy, you know we’ll be interrupted constantly.”

“So this isn’t just a friendly visit.”

“I kind of wanted to talk to you.”

“Fine, why don’t I pick up some sandwiches and we’ll meet at the loft.”

“Twelve thirty.”

“Brian going to be there?”

“No clue.”

“I’ll bring enough for three, if he’s not there I’m sure you’ll put it to good use.”

“Mom, I’m not exactly a starving artist.”

“And I’m still a mother.”

“Oh yeah, moms and food.”

“Well I’m not as bad as Debbie.”

“No one’s as bad as Debbie.”

“I’ve got to go. If I don’t finish this paperwork they’re not gonna close on time.”

“See you soon.”

“Bye sweetie.”

Justin hung up and called Brian. “I’m meeting my mother for lunch, wanna come?”

“No.”

“Okay. See you tonight.”

“Wait. Where?”

“At the loft.” Justin smiled. Brian was so easy sometimes.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. What time?”

“Twelve thirty. And don’t come earlier hoping for a quickie, I’ll be at the studio. I’m expecting deliveries.”

“Twelve thirty.”

“Bye.”

“Later.”

Justin had one last call to make. He called the Swintovly-Jacobson Gallery. He spoke to some assistant who was handling the show and they discussed a few details. He gave them the loft number in case they couldn’t reach him on his cell and he hung up. He was singing loudly when he drove up to what used to be Babylon. It had been several days and he was anxious to get back to work.

He came up to the gallery and was immediately pissed off.

He dialed quickly.

“What the fuck?”

“Yes Sunshine?”

“Brian.”

…………………  
…………………

“Brian.”  
…………………………….  
…………………………….

“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to tell me why you’re upset.”

“Like you don’t fucking know.”

“Give me a hint.”

“It begins with a C and costs thousands of dollars.”

“My cock?”

“No, I get that for free.”

Brian laughed. “Hardly, I think you pay pretty heavily.”

“I think you’re fucking insane.”

“You know you need one in the studio. And I know you took the other one to New York.”

“So you just happened to buy me the most ridiculously expensive computer system you could find?”

“No. I just had it transferred from the art department when I upgraded their systems.”

“If I call Ted…is he gonna back up that lie?”

“Yes.”

Justin could hear Brian smirking. He wanted to throw the phone at him. I hate that I can’t hit you right now.

“I don’t. You’ve gotten pretty fucking strong.”

“Brian, you can’t keep doing this.”

“One reason why not and I’ll stop.”

“Um… because I’m not a prostitute.”

“That’s a factual statement. It’s not a reason why I can’t buy you shit.”

“Because I’m an adult who can take care of myself.”

“Also a factual statement. But that means you can’t accept a gift, given with love from your partner?”

“Don’t use that word I hate it.”

“Since when?”

“Since this is starting to feel like a business proposition.”

He heard Brian sigh on the other end of the phone. “Justin. I want you to succeed. Can’t I just be a patron of the arts…and if you’ll look closely, which I know you haven’t. It’s a fucking laptop, connected to that big ass monitor. You can take it with you when you go back to New York. I’m not trying to keep you here.”

“You’re not?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Like I fucking know what I want right now.”

“Do you want the computer?”

Justin laughed. “You know I do, it happens to be the one we were talking about online the other day. The one I was drooling over.

“Is it?”

“So there’s no bookmark on your computer saving the page?”

He heard the click of the keyboard. “Nope.”

“You’re a lousy liar.”

“When I want to be.”

“I’m keeping the computer.”

“Good.”

“I’m taking it back home when I go.”

“You’re supposed to.”

“And I’m taking the jeans and shirt too.”

“The fuck you are.”

Justin sighed. “Lunch. Loft. Twelve thirty.”

“With you and your mommy.”

“I’ve got to go to work now.”

“I’m already at work. But some twink keeps interrupting me.”

“I’ll get him to stop.”

“Good. I’ve got very important plans for him this evening and I’ll be late if I don’t finish all this bullshit.”

“Go.”

“Bye.”

Justin pulled the earpiece off of his head and wanted to scream, or cry, or… kiss Brian hard. It was a really really nice machine and he’d be able to get twice as much done now that he had it here. 

He tried not to be impressed with the exorbitant amount of software already loaded on it. Instead he started on the video editing he’d wanted to work on. He had planned to appropriate one of the art department’s computers for a little while after hours tonight. But now he didn’t have to. 

Yeah, he owed Brian something but fuck, he was starting to owe him too much again. He let the anger wash over him… repeated the mantra that had gotten him through this many years… “That’s how Brian does things, that’s how Brian does things thatshowbriandoesthingsthatshowbriandoesthings”, and eventually he was calm enough to focus.

He was running late. He’d gotten lost in his work.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Jennifer walked hesitantly up the stairs. She had a pretty good idea what Justin wanted to talk about. And while she wasn’t sure if Brian was going to be there or not, at this point, it didn’t matter. Anything she said would get back to him anyway, and anything he thought would end up coming out of Justin’s mouth. He was almost Machiavellian that way.

She sighed and knocked on the door. Brian opened.

“Jennifer.”

“Hi Brian.”

“Cheese steaks. Good choice.”

“I brought a salad, if you don’t….” Brian had already unwrapped his and taken a bite. 

“I didn’t know you ate real food.”

Brian shrugged. “Man can’t live on Jim Beam and cigarettes alone.”

Jennifer sat down across from Brian at the table. “Where’s Justin.”

“I think he’s running late. He probably got sucked into some art thing. You know how he gets when he’s working.”

She looked around… where’s he working?”

“Babylon. Set up a studio there, so he wouldn’t get paint all over the floors.”

“You know, Ted’s called me three times about what the options are for that building.”

“No actually I didn’t. What are the options, as you see them?”

“Well, I’ve talked to you about renting it out as flex office space. You’d cover your costs and make a decent profit but then you’d be the landlord. Which means you’d have to have a building manager to handle all the maintenance.”

“Not my favorite idea.”

“It’s still zoned as commercial space, and the liquor license hasn’t expired, so… there’s always the return to Babylon option.”

“I’ve been considering that one.”

“There’s a developer who’s expressed interest in turning it into an upscale mall now that the neighborhood is becoming so gentrified.”

“I’ll bomb it again first.”

“You could turn it into a bath house.”

Brian looked up and saw the familiar teasing expression on Jennifer's face. “Think I’d rather have Justin still speaking to me.”

“So what do you want to do with it?”

Brian seemed to be considering his answer when Justin walked in. “Sorry I’m late.”

He kissed his mother on the cheek and kissed Brian in a less familial fashion.

“You’re not covered in paint.”

“Was doing some editing on a video piece I’m gonna be incorporating into one of the multimedia things they want.”

“So the computer’s working?”

Justin glared at Brian and unwrapped his own sandwich. “How are you mom?”

“Fine.”

“What are we going to do about dad?”

“Well, no point in small talk.”

Justin took a large bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly. When he finished he repeated the question.

“What is there to do?”

“Well, we could kill him.”

“Brian stop offering that.”

Justin looked at Jennifer. “He’s offered you that option before?”

“Every time his name comes up.”

“You want to have my dad killed?”

“He ran into my jeep.”

“Six years ago.”

“I liked that jeep.”

“Brian.” Jennifer and Justin had matching aggravated tones.

“Wow, disapproval in stereo. It’s been a while.”

Justin turned his attention back to his mother. “He showed up here the other night.”

“What did he want?”

“Aaron.”

“Why did he come here?”

Justin launched into the whole story while Brian pretended to be completely focused on getting everyone a drink.

When they were all playing with their food or water or beer bottles Brian finally spoke. “Anything you _can_ do Jennifer?”

Jennifer sighed and pushed her half eaten cheese steak away from her. Justin who’d finished his own, took it and started to eat. “I’m not sure. I stopped him from doing it to Justin. But…”

“Wait. What?” Justin’s mouth was full but he didn’t care. “Stopped him from doing it to me? He was gonna send me there?”

“Justin it was a long time ago.”

Brian’s eyes were dark. His expression blank. “But he was gonna send Justin to the holy…”

“Brian!”

Brian stopped talking. His face didn’t show any amusement.

“He wanted to Justin. He was worried about you. And then you ran away. And he was more worried about you. He had… I don’t know, this idea that you’d been… influenced. He thought the right influence could…”

“Fix me.”

“He’s a shit Justin. We already knew that.”

“But he wanted to send me to some religious torture camp.”

“I wouldn’t let him.”

“Well, thanks. But why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you were dealing with enough. And I was afraid you’d disappear.”

“Fucking should have.”

“Justin. He can’t do it without both parents permission if they both have custody. He tried to convince me again after the… after you were bashed. He thought once you were out of rehab we should send you there.”

Brian stood up and walked away from the table. Too angry to think.

“We could kill Craig.”

“Brian stop offering to kill my father.”

“No.”

“It’s not helping.”

“Fine, so he couldn’t go if you said no. Which you did, because you’re sane.”

“What if Alicia says yes.”

“I don’t think Alicia knows what’s involved.”

“Mom you have to tell her.”

“I can’t honey. I can’t just walk up to your fathers… whatever the fuck she is, and tell her what I saw.”

“What you saw? You went there?”

“Justin this is ancient history.”

“Not to me, I’m just finding out.” Justin was pacing now, his food forgotten.

“Justin _I_ went so that your father knew I was making an informed decision not to send _you_ there.”

“Did you consider it?”

“Not for a second. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“So you have to talk to Alicia.”

“Justin… I’m not the one.”

“Who is?”

“You?”

“Fuck that.”

Justin was still pacing. Brian handed him a cigarette. They calmed Justin down when he was on the verge of a massive fit. “Justin calm down.” Those words didn’t Brian remembered that part too late.

“Fuck that.”

Brian sat down. “Jenn, do you think Alicia will listen to Justin? More importantly, do you think she’ll listen to Craig?”

“I have no clue. Why do you both assume I know so much more about this than I do? I’ve met the woman three times in my life, and not under the best of circumstances. I can’t do anything about this. And Brian… I can see you about to say it and don’t. Because if you offer to have Craig killed right now, I’m going to take you up on it.”

Brian smiled at that and sat down. Justin continued to pace and smoke, flicking the ashes on the floor.

Jenn turned her attention to Brian. “What’s he doing?”

“Figuring out what to do.”

“Justin.”

“Don’t Jenn. I’m not even fucking sure if he can hear you. He’ll pace, and fuck up my floors. And then he’ll rant, and then he’ll actually come up with a pretty brilliant course of action.”

“Stop fucking talking about me like I’m not here.”

“What did I just say?”

“I don’t fucking know, but I know you’re talking about me.”

“You’re fucking up my floors again.”

“Fuck you.”

“Jenn almost laughed. “How often does he do this?”

Brian put his finger to his lips. “Don’t talk about him like he’s not here.” He whispered

“Fuck the both of you.”

“Yes dear.”

Justin shot him another look. “I’m going out.”

Brian moved more quickly than Justin and blocked the door. “Keys.”

“Brian.”

“Not driving like this. Keys.”

“Justin handed him the keys, taking the one to Babylon and showing it to him. Brian nodded and Justin left, slamming the door behind him.

“That was…”

“Justin.”

“But he’s so…”

“Jennifer, do you remember when you…I don’t know…gave him to me… the second time, because he was pitching fits and you didn’t know how to deal with it?”

Jennifer nodded. “I remember.”

“Well, I got it down…correction, WE got it down from throwing shit and breaking stuff I liked to pacing and fucking up my floors… but there’s no point talking or trying to be rational with him when he’s like that. He’ll walk…far. He’ll come home covered in paint, or dirt, or stoned off his ass, and then he’ll be fine.”

“Fine?”

“More than fine because he’ll know what he thinks he’s going to do.”

“Thinks he’s gonna do?”

“Yeah. His plans aren’t always brilliant. Sometimes they need some polishing.”

“But he’ll be okay? I don’t think I’ve seen him this angry since…”

“Since he flipped out and threw you into a dresser?”

“He told you about that?”

“Going on six years here mother Taylor. Does the whole world really think we do nothing but fuck and fight?”

Jennifer laughed. “You know, I’m sure your ego thinks it’s the whole world, but it’s really just a few people.”

“Who think he and I do nothing but fuck and fight.”

“Well, that’s all we see.”

“That’s all that’s any of your fucking business.”

“Brian you know…”

“Yeah, I know, you’re fine with me, it’s all okay, you’re glad I’m taking care of your baby boy. Got it.”

“I was going to say I think you’re good for him.”

“Yeah, fucking great. He’s out there pacing and storming around Pittsburgh with no idea what to do and I’m gonna have to sweep the floor.”

Jennifer laughed. “If you need help…not with the sweeping…with Craig, you’ll call me?”

“If there’s anything we think you can do.”

“Aaron’s worse than Justin was isn’t he?”

“I don’t honestly remember. But he’s got a certain stubbornness to him that seems familiar.”

“Thank you.” Jennifer leaned in to kiss Brian on the cheek. He didn’t pull his head away.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin lit another cigarette and kept walking. He was furious. His mother hadn’t told him. Brian treating him like a fucking kid, talking about him like he wasn’t in the room.

He exhaled and kept walking.

He ended up in his new studio but he wasn’t in the mood to work on anything. He sat, he finished the six-pack in the ‘fridge and smoked some more. Finally, a little calmer, or just buzzed from the beer he’d downed so quickly he headed back to the loft. It was after two. Brian should be back at the office. Justin knew he wouldn’t be.

He slammed the door shut behind him, Brian stood up and started to say something but Justin wasn’t in the mood to talk.

He pushed Brian backwards towards the bedroom unbuttoning his shirt and yanking at his tie. Not letting their lips lose contact.

He pushed Brian down on the bed roughly, still not speaking.

He was straddling him, unzipping his pants. He raised himself up on his knees long enough to pull Brian's pants down and then leaned forward grabbing a condom and the lube.

Brian’s hands were reaching for him. He pushed them away, took off his own shirt and kicked his jeans across the loft somewhere. 

He lowered himself onto Brian quickly, and moved forward, holding the man’s forearms against the bed, riding him. Sucking his tongue into his own mouth and enjoying the deep moans that Brian was breathing into him.

He clenched his ass around Brian's dick and smiled wickedly when Brian cursed out his name.

“Fuck Justin.”

Justin did it again. 

“She should have fucking told me.”

Brian nodded. And Justin leaned down to plunder his mouth again. “You should have fucking told me.”

“I didn’t know.”

“That’s no excuse.”

Brian laughed and Justin began to move faster, his hands roughly pulling at Brian’s nipples.

He felt Brian plant his feet on the mattress. Knees bent, and leaned against them using the leverage to pull all the way out off before impaling himself again. He let himself moan this time.   
“Fucking Craig.”

“No, you’re fucking me.”

“Whatever.”

Brian could taste the beer on Justin's breath. Could smell it. He was halfway to drunk, and still pretty fucking angry. Brian was okay with that as long as he didn’t stop.

Justin did stop. He felt Brian’s body contract. Saw his face and knew he was about to come. He stopped moving. Stopped touching. “Not yet.”

Brian flopped his head back onto the bed, trying to reach for a pillow but Justin’s hands were back on his forearms holding him still. He started to move again. Slowly, contracting his muscles on the down stroke. Squeezing his ass against the base of Brian's cock.

“Goddamned asshole.”

“Me or Craig?”

“Both of you.”

Brian nodded, letting Justin work out his aggression…he really didn’t mind.

Justin's hands were on his body again, reaching behind him and stroking his thighs.

He tentatively moved his own hands towards Justin, but as his long fingers reached to encircle his cock Justin pushed his hands away. 

“I said not yet.”

Brian gave up and just let the boy ride him. He watched as Justin’s eyes went from sharply focused and angry to hazy and half closed. He did take Justin's hips in his hand then, and Justin's fingers gripped his as he started to move even faster. Twisting his hips to make sure Brian’s shaft was stroking just where he wanted.

“Okay. Now.” Justin's voice was deep and breathy and Brian’s hand moved to his leaking erection, stroking it in time to Justin’s movements. Swiping his thumb over his slit, letting a finger skim around the sensitive spot where the shaft became the head of his cock. And he felt him come into his hand. Felt the pulsing sensation around his own dick as Justin threw his head back and let his body shudder.

Brian thrust his hips, pushing himself deeper and came as Justin’s body milked the orgasm from him.

Justin collapsed on top of him then. His head on his chest, his legs still on either side. Brian still inside him.

“Will you really kill my dad for me?”

Brian shook his head. “No, only for your mom”

“You’re an asshole.”

“You already said that.”

“This is bullshit.”

“I know.”

“I can’t believe he wanted to do that to me.”

“I wouldn’t have let him.”

“Do you have to go back to work?”

“Not yet.”

Justin smiled. “Just stay here for a little bit.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go get Aaron soon anyway.”

“Are you gonna talk to Alicia?”

He felt Justin shrug against him. “I don’t know yet.”

“Yes you do.”

“I’m sorry I fucked up the floors.”

“They’re good as new.”

“Why do you put up with me?”

“Mostly cause it usually ends like this.”

“Oh, yeah, you keep me around for the sex.”

Justin’s eyes were closed and Brian ran a hand through his hair. He was asleep. He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes. Twenty minutes then they both had to face the world again.

A half hour later Justin woke up cursing. Shit I’m gonna be late getting Aaron.

“He’ll be fine.”

Justin shot him a look.

“Okay, he’ll be sucking some guy off in public but, it’s not like that’s the worst thing in the world.”

“Fuck. Brian, keys.”

Brian handed him his keys back. 

“Where are my pants?”

Brian found them and held them out to him. 

“Thanks.”

“I’ll be home for dinner.”

“We’ll go out.”

“Okay.”

They kissed and Brian watched him leave realizing he’d never said whether he was going to talk to Alicia or not.


	9. Chapter 9

  
Author's notes: in which something actually happens!  


* * *

  


* * *

**  
Brothers Keeper  
Chapter Nine**   


* * *

He followed Aaron into the house again. 

“What time’s your mother getting home?”

Aaron's attention was almost completely on making sure he killed the third guy, after having run over the other two with his car. “Five thirty probably.”

Justin picked up his controller and tried to keep up. The kid was good.

Alicia arrived a little earlier than expected. She looked less surprised to see Justin there this time. 

“Can you stay for dinner?”

“I really can’t, but I wanted to talk to you…do you have a couple of minutes?”

“Just let me change and get dinner started for Aaron.”

“Sure.”

Justin sat back down and was about to pick up his controller again when Aaron paused the game. “What do you want to talk to her about.”

“Just family bullshit.”

“My dad?”

“Not specifically.”

“Me?”

“Not specifically.”

“Then what?”

“Grown up stuff.”

“Pfft, you like to pretend you’re this big important grown up. I’ve seen you. You’re not.”

“Aaron, do you ever stop talking shit about things you don’t know?”

“I know you think you’re gonna ‘save’ me.”

“Never said anything like that.”

“Whatever.”

Alicia came down then in jeans and a sweater that had seen better days. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and for the first time Justin realized that she was pretty fucking young.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Justin followed her into the kitchen. “Sure, water if you have it.”

She pulled two bottles of water from the ‘fridge and handed one to Justin. “Is Aaron okay?”

“Oh, I think he’s doing better. He was scared. He at least seems a little more comfortable with me.”

“He does. And thank you for the last few days. I know he didn’t go to school on Monday.”

“You do.”

“They call Justin, they have an entire office of people whose job it is to call when a kid isn’t in school.”

“They do?”

Alicia laughed. “I guess things have changed a little since you were in school.”

“I went to a private school. I think they just handled things differently then.”

“Was he with you on Monday?”

“He came looking for me but I was already back in New York.”

Alicia looked puzzled. “I know he didn’t go back to New York.”

“No, he found Brian, who called me. And now I’m here.”

“You’re a good brother.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“You are. He used to have friends here every day. It’s good that you’re here now. I guess they’re not comfortable coming over.”

“That sucks.”

Alicia laughed. “Yeah, for Aaron it does. I, however, will have to do a lot less grocery shopping.”

Justin laughed with her and then remembered why he was here. “We have to talk about Craig, and that place you want to send him.”

“Fresh start.”

“Yeah, Fresh Start. It’s not what you think.”

“You don’t know what I think.”

Justin tilted his head, conceding the point. “I’d like to know.”

“I think god’s pretty clear on homosexuality. I also think he’s pretty clear on forgiveness. I think the fact that god can forgive is a damn good thing considering the mistakes I’ve made in my life.”

“What about you? How are you on forgiveness?

Alicia looked confused. 

Justin pushed forward. “Aaron. Are you going to be able to forgive him?”

“I don’t see that there’s anything to forgive. He’s my son. And I love him. That doesn’t change because he’s made a few mistakes.”

“You think being gay is a mistake.”

Alicia sighed; her shoulders slumped as she pulled something out of the refrigerator. “No. I think their public display of affection in the school locker room was a mistake.”

“Are you going to send him to Fresh Start?”

“I don’t really think that’s any of your business.” 

Justin and Alicia both looked up quickly to see Craig standing in the doorway. 

Justin cursed himself for the fear he felt. He pushed it aside. “I thought we’d already been through what is and isn’t my business.”

“What are you even doing here?” Craig’s tone was businesslike but his body language was threatening and, Justin noticed, the vein in his forehead was becoming more prominent by the second.

“He’s my brother. We were just hanging out.”

“But he’s out there, and you’re talking about him with his mother.”

Justin was tired, now, and aggravated. He’d been close to actually getting answers. “Dad, what are you doing here.”

“I came to talk to Alicia about OUR son.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. So why don’t we all just sit down and talk.”

“Justin, you’ve meddled in enough of my relationships. You made your choice. You want to be with that…”

“Brian, dad. His name is Brian.”

“Whatever. Go to him. Go to visit your mother. But stay out of this.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Alicia, why don’t we go out to dinner? I’m sure Justin has plans, and Aaron will be okay by himself for a few hours.”

“Craig, I was in the middle of a conversation, I’m not walking out because you don’t want Justin involved. I’m interested in what he has to say.”

Justin smiled then. He was feeling a little better about Alicia. 

Craig saw Justin's smile. He recognized that knowing little grin. He’d seen it so many times when Justin had such a good time painting those pretty verbal pictures of he and Brian together. He took a step forward. He was surprised when Justin didn’t back off.

“Justin, maybe you should leave.” He heard Alicia say.

“He doesn’t have to go. If he wants to stay here and give his useless opinions, let him. It won’t change what’s going to happen.”

Aaron was standing behind Craig now. “What IS going to happen dad? I thought we were done with this.”

“Not by a long shot kiddo.” Craig turned his attention to Aaron. “We’ve got to make some changes around here.”

“What kind of changes?” Aaron looked scared.

Justin glanced over at Alicia who looked less than calm herself. She was standing frozen to the spot, a bag of pasta forgotten in her hands. “Dad. Back off. Aaron’s gonna tone it down we talked about it.”

“You talked about it? With Aaron? So now you’re giving him advice on how to ‘tone it down’? Last time I checked, Justin, every time there’s an interview with you you’re …what was the phrase they used ‘unapologetically gay.’ How exactly is that toning it down?”

“Fuck you _dad_.” Justin spit the word out. “I AM gay. And I’m not gonna apologize for it. But that doesn’t mean I want to see Aaron get hurt. Not at school and not by YOU”

Justin brushed past Craig. “Aaron, want to go to dinner? Brian and I were going to go out, you can keep us company.”

Justin knew he was pushing it but he was too angry to care right now. 

Craig watched an all too familiar scene. Some confident motherfucker walking out on him. His son following like a puppy dog. He couldn’t hold back his anger anymore. 

He grabbed Justin’s wrist. “You’re not going anywhere and you’re not taking him with you.”

Justin tried to twist his arm out of Craig's grip. “Fuck off. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore Craig. I’ll go where I want, with whomever I want.” He was still trying to pull his arm out of Craig’s vice like hold as he turned to Alicia. “You don’t mind if Aaron has dinner with us do you?”

Alicia shook her head numbly. Right now she wanted both Aaron and Justin out of the house and away from Craig who was angrier than she’d ever seen him.

That’s when Craig's fist made contact with Justin’s jaw. 

Justin was shocked. Not that Craig had taken a swing. He’d been prepared for that. But that he’d done it in public and that it hurt so fucking much.

He ducked away from the next blow and it landed squarely on his shoulder. 

He finally got his arm free and moved his body away from Craig's as he went to take a swing of his own. 

He heard a noise, like a bellow and found himself laid out on the floor. The fucker had tackled him.

He heard Aaron yelling for Craig to stop. He heard Alicia trying to reason with Craig, but mostly he heard a rather sickening thud as he felt a foot connect with his back. He rolled over and was about to stand up when another foot fell hard onto his stomach.

It knocked the wind out of him and he saw Craig, breathing hard and smiling victoriously as he lay there trying to get his body to move.

He felt another sharp pain as a heel pressed into his palm and that’s when he moved. He wasn’t going through any more fucking therapy to get his hand working again. 

He stood up, facing Craig, refusing to run away. Still in too much shock to acknowledge the pain he was in. He curled his fist and clocked Craig in the eye.

Then he sat on the sofa and calmly called the police.

Aaron was silent. Alicia handed him a bag of frozen peas for his jaw. Craig was protesting his innocence while the police handcuffed him and took him away.

“We’re gonna end up on Cops.”

Justin smiled at Aaron. “No cameras. I’m surprised Craig didn’t run before they got here.”

“I don’t think he believed you called them”

Justin nodded. “Fuck, what time is it?”

“After six.”

“I have to go.”

“Are you okay to drive?” Alicia seemed genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine. Just a little bruised. But… Alicia.”

“She nodded. He doesn’t have his children’s best interests at heart.”

“I’m glad you can see that.”

“I wish it hadn’t taken this for me to see it.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

Justin was holding his ribs. They’d taken pictures of the bruises. And he’d have to go tomorrow to make a formal statement but he’d pushed away all offers of hospitals, or ambulances. It was a fucking bruise or two. He’d be fine.

He headed back towards the loft and dialed Brian’s number at work.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I was thinking we could go to…”

“Brian we have a lot to talk about and I’m thinking it’s best not done in public. Dinner’s cancelled.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back to the loft.”

“Where are you now?”

“On my way.”

“See you at home.”

“Yeah.”

“Bye.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Brian beat Justin home by at least twenty minutes. 

When Justin walked in he headed straight for the bedroom where he lay down, still fully clothed.

Brian walked up beside him and saw the bruise on his chin. “What the fuck is that?”

Justin rubbed it with his hand and Brian saw the damage to his wrist, to his palm, and the bruises on his knuckles. His stomach knotted. “Justin.”

“Is there a way in hell that we could do this quietly and without you queening out?

“Depends on whether you got that wrestling with your little brother or went picking a fight in a bar.”

“Neither.”

“So you talked to your father.”

Justin closed his eyes. And Brian sat down next to him trying to remain calm. His hands ran through Justin's hair. 

Justin sighed.

“Did you hit your head?”

Justin sat up angrily. “I thought you were comforting me.”

“I was. I’m also checking for a concussion but I guess the hospital would have mentioned that.”

Justin was silent.

“Right. No doctors, no hospitals. Whatever.” He held Justin's damaged hand in his and bit back the urge to drop it and go do something about this. “Start at the beginning.”

“When my mother was in college she was dating this asshole. He asked her to marry him and she said yes.”

“Fast forward a little.” 

“Eventually he fucked around on her and had a child by another woman.”

“Justin. Start with leaving the loft after I found your pants. End when you call me and don’t bother to tell me you’re hurt.”

“Brian, I’m okay. Just a few bruises.”

“Where else.”

“I thought you wanted to hear the story.”

“You said don’t send him there. Craig said stay out of it. You didn’t. He said you’re a fucking faggot. You said, and proud of it. Then you did something phenomenally stupid and Craig lost it. Did I miss anything important?”

“He’s in jail, for the moment. I don’t think Alicia's gonna bail him out.”

“Okay, now take off your shirt.”

“Brian I’m tired and so not in the mood.”

“Wasn’t a request.”

Justin sat up, biting back a groan as the bruise on his stomach responded negatively to the movement. 

“You have to swear not to lose it.”

“No.”

“Brian.”

“Justin, I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Did he hurt Aaron too?”

“No, I’m the one who really pissed him off.”

“I’ll kill him for you now if you ask.”

“Well, that is why I did this. Fuck you, only killing him for my mom.”

“Justin, take your fucking shirt off.”

Justin was stalling and Brian knew it, and the longer he stalled the more worried Brian got.

“You haven’t said you’re not gonna flip out.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Okay.”

Brian was tugging at the bottom of Justin's shirt. He was just as insistently holding it down.

“He kicked me, that’s all. It’s gonna look worse than it is.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“It’s not as bad as what he did to you.”

“I feel much better, fucker almost broke my ribs, and I’m twice your size.”

“Twice? Dream on.”

“Not in the mood to debate.”

Justin leaned forward to kiss him. Brian's hand was still holding his damaged one. “I clocked him in the eye.”

“Good for you. Take your shirt off.”

Justin was nibbling on Brian's bottom lip. “He’s in jail now. He can’t hurt anyone.”

“Glad to hear it. Take your shirt off.”

Justin gave up and pulled his shirt off quickly. Brian took a deep inhale. “Motherfucker.”

“Technically yes. He is.”

“Let’s go bail him out so I can kill him.”

“That would leave a paper trail.”

Brian’s fingers gently grazed over the nasty looking bruise on Justin’s stomach. “He punched you in the gut?”

Justin shook his head. “He stepped on me.”

“Motherfucker.”

“We established that.”

Brian pulled Justin towards him. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian, until he realized that once again it wasn’t a gesture of comfort, it was to check for more bruising. And he’d found some.

Brian stood up and walked to the kitchen. “What do you want to drink?”

“Beer and aspirin.”

Brian nodded trying to wrap his head around any or all of this.

He sat down next to Justin on the bed. Let me see your hand.

“It’s okay.”

“Did you put ice on it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get some more.”

Brian stood up again. Justin swallowed the aspirin and tried to remember that the simple fact that Brian was calm was probably a good sign. 'Til he saw Brian’s face when he came back to the bed. Carrying a bottle of beam and an ice pack his expression was dangerously blank and his eyes dark. Justin reached for the bottle and Brian held it away from him and handed him the ice pack instead.

“We can both get drunk in a minute.”

“Why a minute?”

“I need more information and you’re a lightweight.”

“Fuck you. I could drink you under the table.”

Brian raised an eyebrow and Justin smiled. “I could blow you once you were under the table, except I’d be passed out drunk.”

“More accurate.”

“Justin held the ice to his hand. 

“You sure there’s no internal bleeding?”

“How the fuck should I know. If it still hurts next week I’ll do something about it.”

“Next week?”

“Well it hurts now.” Justin gave Brian his best “duh” face. “But unless my stomach gets all rigid, or I’m vomiting blood, I’m assuming it’s because I’m a little banged up.”

“A little?”

Justin flexed his fingers. “Had to fucking pick on my gimp hand.”

“Had to fucking incite him.”

“This is my fault now?”

“No. But you knew he was dangerous what were you doing there with him?”

“I didn’t plan it. It just kind of happened.”

Brian was holding the ice on Justin's hand now. “Tell me what happened.”

“You told me.”

“Details are fun.”

Justin regaled Brian with the whole story. When he finished Brian passed him the joint that he’d already rolled and lit.

“So Alicia's not gonna send Aaron to god’s tabernacle of the holy pussy?”

“It’s called Fresh Start and no. I think this was a graphic illustration of just how out of his tree my dad is.”

“Is she safe?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What about the half-breed?”

“Not so sure.”

“When’s he gonna get bailed out. I’d really like to kill him.”

“I know. And I don’t know. I have to go down and make a formal complaint and file a restraining order and all that bullshit tomorrow.” 

“Do we need to call Carl?”

“To do what?”

“I don’t fucking know. Help.”

“I think I can fill out paperwork without Carl. Besides, do we really want Debbie to know?”

“Like she’s not gonna find out.”

“How?”

The phone rang. Brian picked it up and Justin heard Debbie’s unmistakable and unique screech. Brian said nothing and handed the phone to Justin, who exhaled his last toke slowly. “I’m fine Deb.”

“No, I don’t need soup or lasagna. I swear. I’m okay. How the fuck did you find out. Sorry. Yeah, should have figured. You have him check for everyone’s name? Yeah. Makes sense. Mmm hmmmm. Tomorrow. After I’m done there. Diner. Promise. Gotta go Deb. I know. Mmm hmmmm. Fine. I’m okay. Don’t need a doctor. Yeah, he is. Yeah, he’s here. Pretty sure we’re in for the night. Tell anyone you want. Really gotta go Deb. I’ll tell him. Fine.” He handed the phone back to Brian.

“I promise. Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m sure. Diner. Lunch. Tomorrow. I’ll be there. He’ll eat. Deb I gotta take care of him he needs something. Okay. Bye.”

“Did you know she did that?”

“Did what?”

“Had Carl check for familiar names in police reports.”

Brian laughed. “Does it surprise you?”

Justin was half way to stoned and had finished his beer. He took a sip from the bottle of beam. “No.”

Brian sighed. “So lunch at the diner after you file your report. Sounds like fun.”

“You know everyone’s gonna be there right? You know that she’s working the phone tree now. Michael and Ben know and then… oh shit.”

“What?”

The phone rang and Justin said, before he even answered it. “My mother.”

Brian smiled. Justin grimaced. “Hi mom. Fine. Swear. Yeah he is. Yeah Brian’s here. Yeah, he does want to. Okay, maybe I will let him. Lunch at the diner. Of course. Okay. Gotta go. Swear I’m fine. Don’t need a doctor. Pretend I’m an adult. If I can. Gotta go mom. I will. Yeah. Gotta go mom. Fine, here.”

He handed the phone to Brian. She wants you to make sure I’m not dead.

“He’s not dead. I’m sure. I’ll call that changes. Sorry, you’re right. Okay. He needs something. I have to go. See you at lunch tomorrow.” Brian hung up the phone and turned off the ringer. He then got up, turned out the rest of the lights in the loft. Set the alarm. Turned off his phone. And came back to bed. 

“your mother has no sense of humor about the possibility of you dying.”

“are you just figuring that out?”

Brian shrugged. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“So I can’ turn it off.”

“Just did.”

“Good.”

“How sore are you?”

“Not _that_ sore.”

Justin was moving slowly, his mouth leaving hot wet kisses on Brian's ear and neck. Brian gently pushed him backwards. “I think you’ve exerted yourself enough today.”

Justin was about to pout but Brian was hovering over him and leaned in to kiss him. He arched his body towards Brian but Brian's hands were gently holding him still.

“Be still, I’m gonna kiss you all better.”

Justin sighed and let his head hit the pillow letting Brian do some of his best work.

Eventually they both fell asleep and Justin didn’t bother to wake Brian several hours later when he got up and dug in his bag for something a little stronger than aspirin for the pain. He was _not_ looking forward to tomorrow, and he still had to go pick Aaron up and drive him to school in the morning.


	10. Chapter 10

  
Author's notes:

 

* * *

 

****

* * *

 

 

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

   


Justin woke up and stretched… and then remembered that stretching was a bad idea.  His shoulder hurt.  His back hurt.  His stomach hurt.  He flexed his fingers…  fuck. His hand hurt.

   


He moved slowly smelling coffee.  He grabbed another pill from the bottle on top of his bag and headed towards the kitchen.  Brian was already up and dressed.

   


“You showered without me.”

   


“I actually thought I might have to call your mother and tell her your status had changed. You were dead to the world.”

   


“Long night.”

   


“Lot of beam, and…” Brian stared pointedly at Justin’s hand, which was still holding the pill “heavy medication.”

   


Justin poured himself a cup of coffee and swallowed the pill with the first sip.  “Told you it hurt.  I couldn’t sleep.”

   


“Why do you have them with you?”  
  


“In case my dad went psycho.”

   


“You still getting headaches?”

   


“You need to refill your migraine meds you’re almost out.”

   


Brian said nothing, knowing they’d come to an impasse on this one.  “Get moving we’ve got to go get Aaron.”

   


“We?”

   


“You’re in no shape to drive and we’re going to the police station to file a report afterwards.”

   


“I can do this myself.”

   


“I know.”

   


“So why are you coming with me?”

   


“Had the day off.”

   


“Liar.”

   


“Had the morning off.”

   


“Liar.”

   


“Get in the shower, we have to leave in twenty minutes.”

   


Justin didn’t say anything else.  There was no point in arguing if Brian had made up his mind.

   


They were silent on the drive to Aaron's.  Aaron's face lit up when he saw Brian in the car.  “Hi!”

   


“Christ him too?”

   


“Justin smiled.  It’s a curse.  You’ll have to learn to deal.”

   


“Jesus Justin, dad really nailed you.”  
  


“What?”

   


“Your face.”

   


“Oh, yeah, it’ll be gone in a couple of days.”

   


“Mom was pissed.”

   


“Well, I’m sure she was, I think I bled on her carpet.”

   


“I’ve never seen dad like that.”

   


“I have the ability to bring out the best in people.”

   


“You were right.  He really hates you.”

   


“Aaron we’ve been through this. And it’s early.  Can we not talk?  For like…the rest of the drive?”

   


Aaron smiled.  “That’s easy, we’re here.”

   


Both Brian and Justin slumped in relief when they saw him disappear into the school.  

   


Justin looked over at Brian who had an odd expression.  “What?”

   


“What?”

   


“You’re thinking about something.”

   


“I’m thinking about how hot you used to look in your uniform when I dropped you off for school.”

   


“You were a perv.”

   


“Yeah.  You on the other hand, fresh as the driven snow.”

   


“You corrupted me.”

   


“Someone had to.”

   


“Glad it was you.”

   


“Me too. Which way’s the police station?”

   


Justin looked at the sheet of paper they’d handed him.  “Down this street a little bit.  Not too far.”

   


Brian nodded and started driving.  

   


When they got there Justin was ushered into a small room with a metal table and some battered chairs. Brian followed.  “Is he allowed to be here?”  Justin asked.

   


The woman nodded and told him someone would be there shortly, but he could start on this paperwork first.

   


Justin took the forms but started looking for a pen in his messenger bag.  

   


“What are you doing?”  
  


“This is a crappy pen.”

   


“So?”

   


“I want my good pen.”

   


Brian didn’t say a word.  If Justin needed his security blanket of a pen…fine, so long as he actually went through with it and filed the charges.  Justin finally pulled it out of his bag looking triumphant.

   


Brian laughed.  “It’s plastic.”

   


“So?”

   


“So you’re good important, best pen ever, is a plastic piece of crap with a big rubber grip.  You look like you’re in first grade.”

   


“Fuck off, it’s easier to write with it and my hand doesn’t cramp as fast.”

   


“It been cramping a lot lately?”

   


“Just since some asshole stepped on it.”

   


Brian nodded and sat silently, while Justin checked boxes and filled in bits and pieces.  Almost ten minutes later Lt. Rascovicza joined them.  “I just need to get your official statement Mr. Taylor and then you can go.”

   


Justin nodded.  And she smiled at him.  “Craig Taylor, he’s your father?”

   


“Yeah.”

   


“So tell me what happened.”

   


Justin recounted the situation while the officer taped their conversation.  She explained that it was more accurate than having people write it down themselves.  Justin didn’t care; he just wanted to get out.  Wanted this to be over. Specifically wanted Brian to stop staring at him with that fucking expressionless expression.  He wondered if Brian was gonna chip a molar grinding his teeth.

   


Lt. Rascovicza finally turned off the tape recorder.  “All I need you to do now is sign this and then you’re free to go.”

   


“What is this?”

   


“It’s a PFA request.  A temporary one has been filed already, but it’s only for twenty-four hours.  
  


“PFA?”

   


She turned her attention to Brian. “Protection from abuse.  Most people call them restraining orders.”

   


Justin pushed it back.  “I don’t need one.”

   


“Justin.”  
  


“Brian I have to talk to him.  And If I do this I can’t do that.  Besides, this will just piss him off more.”

   


“Sign the fucking thing.”

   


“Mr. Taylor.  I understand this is a difficult thing to do.  Especially considering your relationship to Craig Taylor but it really is the safest way to go.”

   


“It’s not actually gonna do anything.   A piece of paper can’t keep him away.”

   


“No but it can make sure he spends more than 6 hours in jail if he does come within a hundred yards of you.”

   


“Six hours? He’s out.”

   


She turned her attention back to Brian.  “He’s been released.  There’s a court date.  And of course Mr. Taylor you can file civil charges against him as well.  But the criminal court date hasn’t been set yet.”

   


“Why the fuck not?”

   


“Brian.”

   


“Because it can’t be set until official charges have been filed.  It will be set later this afternoon or tomorrow, probably for a month or so from now.”

   


“Jesus fucking Christ.”

   


Brian took Justin's hand.  “Sign the damn thing.  It doesn’t matter.  You’re going back to New York on Monday anyway.  So for the time you’re here… you’ll be safer.”

   


Justin signed.  “This is pointless.”

   


Lt Rascovicza smiled.  “You made the right decision.”

   


Justin was walking as quickly as possible to the car.  “Keys.”

   


Brian handed him the keys.  He picked his battles with Justin more wisely these days.

   


The interview had taken longer than Justin had realized.  It was almost noon. He turned the car and headed towards the diner.  

   


“I can’t believe he’s fucking out already.”

   


“Did you expect him to get life with no parole for hitting his faggot son?”

   


“Stop it.”

   


“What?”

   


“Blaming yourself. Thinking you could have done something else.”

   


“You told me I incited him.  Said something phenomenally stupid to him.”

   


“I’m an asshole.  Why the fuck would you listen to me?”

   


“No idea.”

   


“It’s not your fault. But you can’t keep expecting him to be rational.”

   


“I know that.”  
  


“Do you?”

   


“Yes.”

   


“Then what the fuck happened yesterday?”

   


“I lost my temper.”

   


“Do me a favor.”

   


“Hmm?”  
  


“If you’re gonna lose it on someone… call me.”  
  


“Why?”  
  


“When you and I fight the bruises are the fun kind.”

   


“So when I’m angry I should just storm off to find you so we can fuck?”  
  


“That a problem?”

   


“No.  Lets consider it plan B.”

   


“What’s plan A?”

   


“That I take care of myself and don’t try to solve everything with sex.”

   


“That’s a pathetic plan.”

   


“Oh, and yours is brilliant.”

   


“Mine gets us both laid.”

   


“Like that’s an issue.”

   


“Mine keeps you from getting hit by assholes.”

   


“So does mine nine times out of ten.”

   


“It’s the tenth time I’m worried about.”

   


“Stop treating me like a kid.”

   


“Stop fucking acting like one.”

   


“Brian.”

   


“What, you want me to pretend I’m okay with this.  That I’m happy that Craig finally got around to kicking the shit out of you.  Am I supposed to pretend I don’t care?”

   


“I didn’t ask you to pretend anything.”

   


“Then what the fuck was all the bullshit about the restraining order?” 

   


Justin was surprised by his anger. “I was trying NOT to piss him off more.  I don’t want him taking it out on Alicia, or Aaron…or you.”

   


“Fucking hell.  Don’t protect me.  Don’t protect them.  Not if you’re gonna end up looking like a battered wife.”

   


“I don’t look that bad.”

   


“Yeah well, you’re wearing a shirt.”

   


“So I won’t let him near me again.  And you’ll calm the fuck down.”

   


“Fine.”  Brian lit a cigarette.

   


“Gimme one.”

   


Brian handed it to Justin and lit another cigarette.

   


Justin exhaled and they drove in silence for another minute.  “Think we could skip lunch at the diner?”

   


“Then they’ll all come individually.”

   


Justin made a face and Brian laughed.  “They’re gonna be relentless, you up for it?”

   


“They’re gonna make you promise to take care of me like I’m an infant invalid.  You up for it?”

   


“We’ll get out of there fast.”

   


“Promise?”

   


“Yeah, I’ve got work to do and you have to um…”

   


“Get some rest?”

   


“Perfect.”

   


They stepped out of the car and Brian carefully put his arm around Justin's shoulder.  Justin leaned up to kiss him.  “I’m feeling really tired.”

   


Brian laughed.  “And that client is bitching and moaning.”

   


They stepped into the diner and tried to pretend that it wasn’t the last place in the world either of them wanted to be.

   


When they finally left it was well over an hour later.  “You’d think they’d be nicer to someone who needed his rest after such a harrowing experience.”

   


“You think they’d be nicer to the guy who didn’t do this to you.”

   


“I almost stabbed Debbie with a fork.”

   


“She does like to hold me responsible.”

   


“But for this.”

   


“Forget it.  We both know it’s your fault.”

   


Justin smacked Brian’s arm good-naturedly.  “At least my mom stopped crying.”

   


“She was more upset when you cut your hair.”

   


“That wasn’t about my hair though.”

   


“No shit.”

   


“Do you have to go back to work?”

   


“No.  Do you really need to rest?”

   


“No”

   


“Good.”

   


They were in the elevator and Brian leaned back against the wall letting Justin’s body meld to his.  He moved his hands slowly, tugging at Justin's shirt.  

   


“Leave it on.”

   


“Why?”

   


“Cause you’re gonna be way too gentle if I take it off.”

   


Brian kissed him.  “Not looking for gentle?”

   


“Not particularly.”

   


The elevator stopped and Brian lifted the gate and unlocked the loft door.  When it was shut again he picked Justin up, flung him over his shoulder and flopped him back down on the bed.

   


Brian smiled.  Justin was hard underneath his jeans.  His eyes already glazed with want.  He pulled off his own shirt and dropped his pants.  Then he lay his naked body over Justin’s still completely clothed one.  

   


Justin leaned his head back and Brian had better access to his neck.  He sucked hard.  “Gonna leave a mark that means something else entirely.”

   


Justin moaned his hands sliding down Brian's back, pulling him closer.  Arching his own body into Brian’s he moved his hands between them to get rid of his jeans.

   


Brian stopped his hands.  “Leave them on.”

   


“Brian, I’m…”

   


“I know.  You’re hard, and wet.”

   


“Brian I’ve…”

   


“You’ve gotta shut up now.”  His voice was deep and smooth and Justin didn’t have much choice when his mouth was full of Brian's tongue and his senses were full of Brian.  

   


He didn’t remove Justin’s shirt.  The kid was probably right.  Those bruises would haunt him in his sleep but he couldn’t treat him roughly, not even when he knew he wanted it.  Not when he looked so damaged.  

   


He shut his mind to the thought as he focused on Justin's body writhing under his.  He showed some mercy and unbuttoned the top button of his jeans.  Slowly lowering the zipper halfway.  Justin was bucking towards his hand and he could feel how hard and wet he really was.

   


He moved his hand around Justin's waist and slid it slowly under the waistband of his jeans.  When his fingers were teasing his crack, and his hands kneading his ass cheeks he heard Justin moan again.  

   


He slid his jeans lower.  Letting Justin’s cock spring free and he heard the kid sigh with pleasure.

   


He moved his mouth lower then.  Until he was licking at the head.  Justin tried to spread his legs but his jeans were still at his thighs and holding them together.  Brian felt him try to slither out of them but he moved his hands up to Justin’s shoulder to stop him.  

   


His torso was pressed against Justin's still denim covered legs, his head buried in his groin, his mouth enveloping his cock and sucking.  He hollowed out his cheeks and took Justin into his throat.  He was rewarded with a sound he wasn’t sure was human.  

   


He didn’t stop.  His hands moving up and down Justin's body.  He reached up to stroke his face and found his finger inside Justin's mouth.  Justin was working his tongue on the digit like it was his cock.  Flicking and sucking.  He nibbled on the pad of Brian’s index finger.  Brian continued to work his mouth on Justin's shaft, pushing another finger past Justin's lips.

   


When he removed his fingers from Justin's mouth and pushed them deep inside his ass Justin's entire body arched up.  Brian, expecting the reaction pulled his own head back to keep from choking and then continued to tease just the head of Justin's cock while he pumped two, then three fingers inside him. 

   


Justin's body was no longer under his own control and Brian watched as he tried to spread his legs. To bend his knees, to fuck himself harder on Brian's fingers but with Brian’s body holding him down, and his jeans still binding his thighs together he couldn’t do anything but let out a mewl of frustration and a whimper of desire as Brian mercilessly fucked him with his hand while his mouth moved lower to suck on his balls and tease him a bit more.

   


Justin's hands were flat against the mattress as he used them for leverage to buck his body and fuck Brian’s mouth.  Brian let him.  Never stopping the assault on his prostate until he came loud and hard. And while his body was still spasming, his every nerve ending still humming Brian flipped him over, still not removing his jeans but pushing his knees forward.  He pushed into him then.  And Justin was almost crying.  His head buried in the pillow, his body still shaking from the force of the orgasm.  Brian rode him hard.  Pulling out almost completely, re angling and pushing in again.  His hand stroking Justin back to full hardness until he was begging again.  

   


Brian couldn’t hold himself back any longer.  Watching Justin's ass swallow his shaft. Feeling him push back against his hips.  He came then, stroking Justin quickly.  They shot at the same time. 

   


Finally they both collapsed on the bed.  Brian’s body almost completely covering Justin's.  Shielding him from everything.  From the cool air against his sweaty skin that would bring him out of this moment.  From the asshole that couldn’t accept what an amazing man he was, and couldn’t see what a brilliant son he was so willing to hurt and destroy.  From the prying, nurturing, caring people who thought they were helping.  From all the people who thought he could help when all he should be doing is going to clubs and having fun and not worrying about anyone but himself.

   


He wanted to stay like that forever.  If Justin just stayed here, completely covered in his body, nothing could ever hurt him again.

   


“Brian you’re hurting me.”

   


Brian huffed out a laugh and rolled off of him.  No one but him, and hell, he’d probably done more damage than all the other motherfuckers combined.

   


He ran a hand through Justin’s sweaty hair.  “You okay?”

   


“Yeah, just needed to breathe there for a second.  I’m good.  You can smother me some more if you want.”

   


“Fuck you.”

   


“I thought you just did.”

   


Brian lit a cigarette and Justin finally rolled over and kicked his jeans to the floor.  He took the cigarette from Brian’s hand.  “You’re really good at that.”

   


Brian smiled and took the cigarette back.  “Years of practice.”

   


“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to keep practicing to get that good.”

   


“Naaah, you’re a natural.”

   


“You weren’t?”

   


“Okay, maybe we’re both naturals.”

   


Justin looked at his watch.  “I have to leave in half an hour to get Aaron.”

   


“You know I hate working on a deadline.” Brian stubbed out his cigarette.

   


“No you don’t.”

   


“Right.”

   


He pulled Justin on top of him then and they spent the next 25 minutes thinking about nothing but each other.

   


“I can get him myself.”

   


“I know but I’m bored.”

   


Justin glared, not believing him for a second.  “You think my dad’s gonna be waiting for us at the house or something?”

   


“I said I’m bored.”

   


“Whatever.”  Justin handed Brian the keys.  

   


Aaron was in rare form when they picked him up.  First he kissed Brian… who laughed.  Justin resisted the urge to physically push him away.  Then he wouldn’t stop talking for the entire blessedly short ride back to his house.

   


Justin was getting out of the car to follow him when Brian stopped him.  “What are you doing?”

   


“Um, going inside?”

   


“Why?”

   


“To keep him company.”

   


“Why?”

   


Justin shrugged.  “Seems polite.  Besides, his friends used to come over all the time.  Not so much anymore.”

   


Brian nodded and got out of the car and locking it.

   


“It’s not that bad a neighborhood.”

   


“It’s not that good either.”

   


Justin ended up watching Brian take a frightening amount of pleasure in killing hookers and running over pedestrians and mocking Aaron for his lack of driving skills.

   


“I can drive.”

   


“I’m sure.”

   


“I can.”

   


“Okay.”

   


“I can prove it.”

   


“Not on my car.”

   


Aaron slunk back onto the sofa and Justin smirked.  “Three thousand two hundred and seventy.”

   


They both looked at him.  

   


“That’s how many blowjobs you have to give him before he lets you drive his car.”

   


“You counted?” 

   


“No, I estimated, but I’m pretty close.”

   


“Well, I can start now.”

   


“No.”  Both Brian and Justin said in unison.

   


“You guys are worse than parents.”

   


“Because I’m sure your mother would approve of your giving blowjobs for car privileges.”

   


Aaron rolled his eyes and ran over someone on the street. “Hah, now I’m winning.”

   


Brian put his full attention back on the game.

   


When Alicia came home several hours later she couldn’t hide her surprise to find the both of them there.  

   


“Justin, I didn’t think you’d be back.”

   


“He’s still my brother.”

   


“How are you?”  She reached up to touch his face but Justin pulled away.

   


“Fine.  He’s out.”

   


“I know.”

   


Brian put his controller down.  “Did you talk to him?”

   


“No, well… he called me at work but we couldn’t talk long.”

   


“What did he want?”  Justin asked while keeping a hand on Brian’s arm to prevent him from launching into a fit over the whole thing again.  

   


“Probably to apologize and explain.  It’s all so ridiculous.  Aaron is fine.  You’re hurt and he’s still acting as though I’m supposed to listen to him about how to fix all this.”

   


“Well, he probably thinks that gods holy…”

   


“Brian stop it.”  Justin’s tone was harsh.  Brian stepped outside for a cigarette.

   


“I’m sorry.  He’s… not happy with Craig.”

   


“He seems to care about you.”

   


“Yeah he does.  Which is one of the main reasons he’s not happy with Craig.  I just came to keep Aaron company, and make sure you’re okay.”

   


“You two should stay for dinner.”

   


“I think we might…”

   


“No, we’ll stay.”  Brian interrupted.  “Thanks.”  
  


Justin sighed and sat down next to Aaron picking up the controller.  “You think he’s gonna show up here.  You’re fucking hoping he shows up.”

   


Brian smiled.  “She invited, it would have been rude to refuse.”

   


Justin turned his attention back to the game not believing him for a second.

   


“You guys know I have ears right?”

   


They both looked at Aaron.  “I mean, I can…kill…this…guy…” he finished a particularly intricate move on the game “and still hear you.  You talk like I’m not in the room.”

   


“Don’t care if you’re in the room or not.”

   


“So are you gonna beat up my dad for Justin?”  

   


Brian snorted.  “I don’t beat people up for anyone.  And Justin can take care of himself.”

   


“Yeah, you should have seen him.  One right hook and dad was down.”

   


“Well, he used to train with a street gang.”

   


“Brian.”

   


“I’m sorry, a group of concerned men acting for the common good.”

   


“You were in a gang?’

   


“No, Brian’s a liar.  Don’t believe anything he says.”

   


“You told me to listen to him he was right.”

   


“When did you say that?”

   


Justin glared at the both of them.  “I must have been stoned.  You.”  He pointed to Brian.  “Shut up.  And you.”  He indicated Aaron, “Go help your mother set the table or something.”

   


Aaron stomped off and Brian and Justin picked up the controllers and changed to a two player fighting game.  “If he shows up you still can’t touch him.”

   


“Bullshit.”

   


“He’ll have you arrested.”

   


“I’ll be out in six hours.”

   


“Brian I’m asking you as a favor.”

   


“Why the fuck do you care?”

   


“Because I’m trying to handle this myself.  Because I don’t want you getting hurt by Craig.  Because I don’t want any more bullshit in Alicia's house.  Because…”

   


Brian looked over at him and Justin took the opportunity in the game to sucker punch him.  His character was dancing around celebrating his K.O.

   


“Because?”

   


“Because he’s still my dad.”

   


“Fuck.  Justin.”  Brian said it quietly. 

   


“Brian I can’t help it.  He was kind of nice to me sometimes.”

   


Brian shook his head.  “I won’t hit him if he leaves with no issues.”

   


“Thank you.”

   


“Not doing it for you.  It’s for Alicia and Aaron.”

   


Justin leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you anyway.”

   


Alicia chose that moment to inform them that dinner was ready.  She blushed a little and so did Justin.  They all headed towards the table.

   


Aaron reminded Brian of Justin at a similar age…he shoveled food in his mouth and ate more than one human should be able to hold down.  

   


“That kid has no table manners.”

   


“At least he knows how to hold a fork, more than you can say for Mikey.”

   


“Hey, it’s not Mikey’s fault.”

   


“Does he have some sort of tendon issues I’m unaware of?”

   


Aaron looked up from his spaghetti.  “He does hold his silverware weird.”

   


Justin laughed.  “Even he noticed.”

   


“Everyone notices.  Michael just never cared.”

   


“Why not?”

   


“How the f… how the…how should I know.  I asked him about it once; he said he liked it better that way.  Who am I to tell someone something’s right or wrong.”

   


“But…”

   


“Justin, we’ve done this one to death.”

   


“He looks like an idiot though.”  Aaron said through a mouth full of garlic bread.

   


Brian chuckled.  “Says the kid with sauce all over his face.”

   


“I do not.”

   


“Right there.”  Brian put his finger on Aaron's chin and then moved it quickly flicking him in the nose.

   


“Hey, owww.”

   


“Don’t talk about my best friend like that.”

   


Justin and Alicia looked at each other.  Justin spoke first.  “I’m sorry, emotionally, he’s younger than Aaron.”

   


“Well, the two of you make more sense that way.”

   


“Only because he was born forty.”

   


Justin looked at Brian.  “Having basic common sense and some courtesy does not make me forty.”

   


Brian smirked.  “He hates to be called young. He hates to be called old.”

   


Alicia laughed.  

   


“But you ARE old.” Aaron said to Brian.  “You’re like older than my mom.”

   


Justin was silent.  There was nothing he could say to get Aaron out of this one.

   


Brian turned his attention to Alicia  “I probably am.  How old are you Alicia?”

   


“Brian!”

   


“What, everyone thinks my age is up for discussion, and I’m curious.”

   


“I’m 37”

   


“I’m younger than your mom Aaron.”

   


Justin snorted. 

   


“I am”

   


“By months.”

   


“Still younger.”

   


“And still older than I am.”

   


“I couldn’t be your sugardaddyclubfreak… whatever if I weren’t”

   


Alicia laughed.  “You can say child molester in front of me.  I’ve heard Craig say it before.  And I know it’s not true.”

   


Brian pulled Justin in for a relatively chaste kiss.  “It’s a little true.”

   


“Ewww” Justin pushed him away.  “Besides, you didn’t molest me, I stalked you.”

   


“Only after I’d taken horrible advantage of your youth and innocence.”

   


“Yeah, well, that part was fun too.”

   


“Um, guys, kid eating here.”

   


Brian and Justin laughed.  Aaron smiled and so did Alicia.  They were all sitting in comfortable silence, Brian and Justin and Alicia drinking cheap red wine and watching Aaron continue to eat.  It was nice.  'Til Craig came barging in.


	11. Chapter 11

  
  ****

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**   
**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

  


  
Craig took in the domestic scene and felt sick to his stomach. Fucking Kinney and his fucking snake oil charm. And Alicia sitting there smiling at the two of them together. And exposing Aaron to this crap. He was livid.

Brian responded to him first and stood up. “I can call the cops or you can leave.”

“I’m not leaving.”

He pulled out his phone. 

“What are you gonna do, have me arrested for standing here? This isn’t your home. You can’t do a damn thing.”

“I can dad.”

Craig stared at Justin, saw the bruise on his jaw and felt some sort of pride in it, until he remembered his own eye. “You gonna hit me again?”

He saw Justin’s unconcerned look. “There’s a restraining order. You’re breaking it.”

“Bullshit.”

“Believe what you want.”

Brian was holding the phone still not dialing anything. Craig knew he was bluffing. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian moved, putting his body between Craig and Justin. “Get the fuck out.”

“Fuck off Kinney this is between my self and my sons.”

“No right now I’m between you and your sons.”

Craig tried to shoulder past him and Brian pushed back a little. 

“Brian.” Justin’s tone was warning.

“Seems he doesn’t want you taking out your aggressions on his old man.”

Brian grabbed Craig's arm then. “Outside.”

“Fuck you I’m not…” Brian’s arm was like steel. He looked skinny, didn’t seem so tough. Fuck he was just some faggot but Craig was being pulled forcefully. He caught himself before he stumbled and followed Brian out the door.

Justin was following… Alicia was holding Aaron back. “Mom, I want to see this.”

“I don’t think this is about you anymore.”

“Duh, but c’mon Brian’s gonna kill him.”

Alicia shook her head slowly… he might but I’d prefer you not see that either.

Aaron turned to go back to his video game when Alicia asked him to give her a hand cleaning up. He turned to complain but saw the look on his mothers face, noticed the slight shaking in her hands as she smoothed down her ponytail. He nodded and took the plates from the table to the sink.

Craig and Brian were standing glaring, each sizing the other up. He wanted to say something but he couldn’t think of a damn thing that would stop this. He tried anyway.

“Brian. I’ll call the cops. Let it go.”

“Fuck that.”

Craig laughed. You think you’re gonna take me Kinney. You think you’re gonna show what a big man you are? You’re just a faggot. I know it. You know it. Justin sure as hell knows it.

Justin was shaking his head. He wanted to call the police. He also kind of wanted to see Brian prove his father so very very wrong. 

Brian’s hands were balled into fists and Craig was laughing. “You’re both such fucking useless goddamned queers. Won’t make a move, won’t call the cops. Jesus.”

Justin heard Brian say something under his breath. It sounded like an apology. And then he moved. Fast, graceful, forceful and deadly.

Justin’s baby tiger metaphor was accurate except for one thing. When it came to protecting those he loved. He was more like a full grown wild animal. Craig was on the ground and Brian’s fist made solid contact with his jaw. Twice.

Justin heard the sickening thud and crunch of skin against skin, muscle pounding into bone. Bone shattering. Brian had probably just broken a knuckle or two on Craig's jaw. 

Justin was far more concerned about Brian’s knuckles right now. Craig's jaw…and the rest of him could go to hell.

“Brian!” Justin yelled before he took another swing. 

Brian stopped mid punch to look up. “Stop okay. Just…. stop.”

Brian stood up. And Craig struggled to his feet as well. “I ought to call the cops on you.”

“Good plan Craig. You’re still in violation of the restraining order… don’t think you’re gonna win that one.”

“You fucking little fa…”

Justin stood between the two and too late realized that this particular tactic only worked when both parties were willing to avoid hurting the person in the middle. Craig didn’t qualify. Brian realized it too because he pulled Justin behind him quickly before Craig could contemplate hurting him again. “We’ll see you in court, Mr. Taylor.” Brian smiled.

Craig stormed off, blood from his split lip dripping down his shirt and an ache in his jaw. He moved his tongue to a particularly painful spot and realized the fucker had cracked one of his teeth. “I’ll be sending you the dental bill Kinney.”

Brian laughed and Craig considered turning around and finishing what he’d started. It would be hours before he was thinking clearly and realized that Kinney had both started and finished the entire interaction. 

This morning he didn’t think it was possible to resent Kinney more. He was wrong.

When Alicia heard a car door slam and a motor start she peeked out the window to see Brian and Justin standing together. They were obviously deep in conversation. She let them be.

  
“That was stupid.”

“No it wasn’t” Brian outlined Justin's bruise with a gentle finger.

“He’s just getting angrier.”

“But he didn’t touch you… or Aaron. Or Alicia.”

“But he’s not done.”

“Probably not. But he’s not getting near you again.”

“Brian. I’m old enough to fight my own battles.”

“I know that, but seriously Justin. Putting yourself between us. He wouldn’t have thought twice about flattening you to get to me.”

“Yeah, that was stupid.”

“You gotta stop this bullshit.”

“I know.”

“So you’re done thinking that all he needs is some education love and understanding?”

“I think so.”

“You’re done letting yourself be alone in a room with him?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t big on that anyway. Really only one guy I like to be alone in a room with.”

“Yeah, who’s that?”

“Oh some sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester I met when I was like twelve.”

“He sounds hot.”

“He is.”

“Go say goodbye to Aaron and Alicia. And remind Aaron that we’re taking him out tomorrow.”

“You’re going with us?”

“You think I’m letting you get hit on by guys who still think you’re some dumb blonde twink?”

“Yeah, you are. Then you can just watch them drool when you take me home.”

“Go be polite. I’ll be in the car.”

Justin smiled and said his goodbyes quickly, reminding Aaron about their overnight visit the next day. Aaron's face broke into a broad grin and Justin worried just a little more about what he’d gotten himself into.

Brian was already halfway through is cigarette when Justin climbed in.

He was driving quickly.

“Have I said thank you?”

“For what?”

“Tonight.”

“I don’t know. Have I mentioned I really hate Craig?”

“I’m pretty sure. How’s your hand?”

“Fine.”

“Let me see.”

Brian threw the last of the cigarette out the window and held the steering wheel with one hand letting Justin turn on the interior light and inspect the other.

Justin wiggled one of his fingers from the first knuckle and he winced. “Let’s go get this x-rayed.”

“Yeah, cause that’s what you did. Went straight to the hospital.”

“Brian I think you broke your hand.”

“Your dad’s hard headed.”

“Brian.”

“If it still hurts tomorrow I’ll look into it.”

Justin opened his mouth to say something and Brian leaned over to kiss him. “Shut up and don’t be more of a hypocrite.”

“But…”

“I said shut up.”

Justin didn’t say another word about his hand. He didn’t say another word for most of the ride home. 

It was all such a fucking mess. This time last week he’d be looking forward to seeing Brian, get a little lost weekend time in and then going back to New York to work. Now he was bruised and sore. Brian’s hand was getting more swollen by the second, he had a court date in a month and on top of all that, he had a little slut half-breed who seemed intent on driving him and his father insane.

Brian watched Justin brood. He wasn’t very good at it. No matter how hard he tried to be expressionless, he just never seemed able to pull it off. His face broadcast his thoughts clearly. 

“Aaron’s gonna be fine. You will get back to New York. Your dad’s not coming near you. And the court date will probably get pushed back a couple times. It’s not as bad as you think.”

Justin looked up surprised. “I need to learn to brood better.”

“No, I like it this way.”

“Why?”

“Saves me having to nag you into telling me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m that transparent?”

“Only to me. Well, and your mother. And Emmett, and Debbie, and Michael and Ben, and anyone who knows you.”

“Great. I need a whole new set of friends.”

“What about what’s his name, the kid you were hanging out with in New York?”

“Kid? Brian he’s older than I am.”

“By a year, which still makes him a kid.”

“What does that make me?”

“Jailbait?”

“Fuck you.”

“Later. I’m driving. But what about, um… Max?”

Justin laughed “Matt. You know you’re not bad at names why do you do that?”

“I’m terrible with names. I can only remember yours about half the time.”

“Well, as long as it’s the important half.”

“There’s an important half?”

“Yeah, when I’m not around. Then you better not fucking forget my name. When I’m here, you can just call me princess, sunshine or twat…that’s what you do anyway.”

“Like you let me forget you when you’re not here.”

“I’m not the one who calls three times a day.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Brian. I’d call, but every time I think, hmmm, I’ll call Brian… the phone rings and guess what…it’s you.”

“Sometimes I need to tell you stuff.”

“Sometimes you need to hear my voice.”

“Only so I can tell you stuff.”

“Like what?”

Brian pulled the car into a parking space. “Why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll show you.”

“After we put ice on your hand.”

“Kinky.”

“Brian it’s already swollen. You can’t walk around and meet with clients looking like you just finished a bar fight.”

“Says the battered wife.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, I’m just adjusting to your pretty new bruise.”

“It’s a day old, you should be used to it by now.”

Brian pulled open the loft door, shut it and set the alarm. “Not something I want to get used to.”

“Yeah me either.” Justin was opening the pill bottle in his bag. “Want one?”

“I’ve got my own brand of pain management.”

Justin shrugged and moved towards the kitchen to get himself some water and an icepack for Brian.

Brian stood behind him and also got the gray goose out of the freezer. Justin watched as he swallowed something with the vodka. “You probably shouldn’t be mixing that with alcohol.”

“Like you taking those things with Beam?” Brian motioned towards the bottle Justin had left on the counter.

“We’re both fucking hypocrites.”

Brian was trying to roll a joint. “Fuck, my hand’s not up for this.”

“Here, put ice on it, I’ll roll.”

“You can’t roll for shit.”

“I’ve learned a thing or two since I’ve been gone.”

Brian watched fascinated. “You did get better at that.”

“Well, duh, I couldn’t just keep buying screens.”

Justin lit and took the first papery inhale. He took a second hit and then passed it to Brian who took it with his left hand, his right wrapped in a towel covering the ice pack.

“We’re quite the pair huh?”

“Your dad really needs to be killed.”

Justin growled. “Can we have one conversation that doesn’t go in circles?”

“Apparently not.”

Justin lay himself across the sofa. “Yes, he needs to die. No, I’m not giving you permission to kill him. Yes, that included hiring someone else to do the work. No, I don’t care if the guy is an old trick just doing you a favor. No. I won’t go near him again. Yes I’m sure I’m fine.

Did I miss anything?”

Brian was getting drunk, the meds were kicking in and the pot was pretty strong. He laughed. “I think you covered all your bases there Sunshine.”

“What’s my name?”

Brian gave him an odd look “Justin.”

Okay, just making sure you remembered it. You can call me Sunshine again.

Brian stubbed out the last of the joint and took a final large swallow of his vodka, putting the bottle back in the freezer. 

He moved his hand with the ice behind him. “Think I can fuck you with one hand tied behind my back?”

“I’ve got a better idea.”

Justin walked towards the bedroom and Brian followed…intrigued.

He lay down on the bed and Justin climbed on top of him, fitting his legs neatly between Brian's. “Don’t move. I’m gonna kiss you all better.”

“Justin, I hurt my hand. That’s not really what I want you to kiss.”

“Better idea. Don’t move and don’t talk.”

Brian closed his eyes and let the hazy feeling of good weed; strong meds and vodka wash over him. He could feel Justin unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans and he was fine with that.

He felt Justin's mouth kissing each newly exposed piece of flesh and forgot about the throbbing in his hand.

He kept his eyes closed when Justin pulled away from him completely. The kid needed to take his clothes off too, and he had faith that Justin would be back.

He faith wasn’t tested for long. He kept his eyes closed as Justin's mouth started at his shoulder and moved down his arm, kissing and nipping until he was sucking at the pulse point on his wrist. 

He bit back a moan. 

He felt something soft around his wrist and opened his eyes. 

“Justin.” His tone was less than amused but more than a little bit husky from passion and his dick was already throbbing.

Justin shot him one of his most innocent looks. “I just want to make sure you don’t hurt your hand.” He smiled as he lifted Brian's other arm and restrained it in a similar manner. He attached the restraints to the hook in the wall and smiled. “There, now you’re nice and safe.”

“You may not be.” Brian said, squirming, but dammit…the restraints were pretty strong and the hook was buried into the masonry above the headboard. He gave Justin a warning glance and realized he needed to practice those or something because the kid didn’t miss a beat. He leaned in and kissed Brian. “Shhhh… just relax.”

Right, relax, his arms tied above his head and the kinkiest and bravest fucker he knew climbing his naked little twink body over his for some other surprise. Relax. Whatever. He tensed all his muscles and pulled himself backwards a little by gripping the restraint tethers.

Justin shook his head. “Do I have to tie your legs down too?”

“Fucking try it.”

Oh shit. He’d just challenged the kid, on a bad day to fucking challenge him. And that smile. He might die from that smile. Slow, determined, smug. Well, he had to let him go sometime. Once Justin was done. He’d kill him. He promised himself that as he felt his ankle being restrained to the bed. Then the other one. He was hard and leaking, and wished for a second that he was at least on his stomach so it wasn’t so obvious.

But then Justin's mouth was on him, licking the precum from the head of his cock and was very glad he was not on his stomach. 

He tried to grit out a command but his voice was a little slurred. He meant to say, Justin, you fucker.” It came out “Justin fuck me.”

His eyes were closed now, and Justin's body was on top of his, their cocks gliding against one another as he moved slowly, kissing each spot that he fucking knew would make Brian moan.

Soon there was no sound but Brian’s grunting and moaning. He didn’t whimper. He didn’t keen…so whatever those soft high-pitched sounds were must be something else entirely.

Justin's hands were stroking the inside of his thighs, gently caressing him, and he bit back any more sounds.

Then his mouth was on him, licking at his balls, dragging his tongue down below them, and soft fingers parting his ass cheeks as he tried not to spread his legs wider, to open himself up to this. But he did, his body didn’t care what kind of control his brain wanted. His body wanted Justin’s tongue inside him. And he felt the teasing nips, and Justin seemed to burrow into the mattress to crawl under him, licking at his asshole. Pushing his tongue in slowly and removing it too quickly.

Brian’s body pushed back trying to pull Justin into him. He was writhing, fucking writhing on the bed and he was gonna kill the kid.

Yes. He’d have to kill Justin. But first Justin had better fuck the shit out of him and fast. Then he’d get around to killing him. Priorities are important.

He felt a finger inside him and now he couldn’t hold back the sounds. He made a mental note in his head. Kill Justin before the kid comes out of his post orgasmic haze. Make sure he doesn’t remember me moaning and writing like a fucking whore on the bed. 

Justin pulled all attention away from his ass and was licking at his neck now. “You’re not gonna kill me for this. Trust me, you’ll have fun; just let go, and stop fucking thinking. I like it when you want me.”

Brian gritted his teeth, and then did relax. That’s all this was. He wanted Justin. Six fucking years, he’d wanted Justin for six fucking years. He’d had him for most of that. Just relax. Relax and enjoy. Six fucking years… when did they get to a point where they could count their time together in years. When did he get to a point when he counted time like that?

Justin's hands had stopped again. “Stop thinking Brian. I’m not trying to marry you and have your babies, I’m trying to get laid.”

Brian did relax then. He let his mind go, and he focused on Justin’s voice which was now filling his senses with the filthiest hottest words he’d ever heard. He was describing in detail everything he was going to do and Brian was gasping at the concept.

He kept his focus on Justin's words. Kept his focus on the soft feel of his fingers probing into his ass. On the wet heat of his mouth sucking hard at the head of his cock. And then stopping to regale him with more details.

“I’m gonna suck you Brian. I’m gonna suck your hard cock deep into my throat while I fuck you with my fingers. Gonna make you come in my mouth and when you can’t stop yourself from it. When you can’t think of anything but how damn good my mouth and fingers are…”

Justin stopped for a moment and pushed a third finger inside Brian. “Then I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’ll feel it for days.”

Brian swallowed hard. He felt Justin begin to suck him again, pumping his fingers inside him and scraping his teeth ever so gently against the shaft before running his tongue entirely around the head of his cock.

He moaned and Justin took him in fully, sucking him hard. Pressing his lips against the base of his cock, burying his nose in his pubes and never stopping the soft stroking of his fingers from the inside. 

His head angled to take Brian deeper and his chin rubbed gently against his balls and Brian couldn’t hold back any longer. He came, with a loud moan of Justin’s name. He was still coming, still shaking when Justin crawled up his body, and kissed him. He tasted himself on the boys tongue and sighed into his mouth. 

Justin moved his head then and bit hard into Brian's neck as he pushed himself inside.

Brian’s body was still riding the post-orgasmic high and he wanted to scream. He wasn’t sure if it was pain or pleasure but his body jerked, his hands holding the tethers and trying to slide himself further down onto Justin’s wide cock.

He could barely move, he was pretty securely tethered and he wanted to. He wanted to spread his legs, and arch his back and take all of Justin into him. And he felt Justin slide further in as he arched as much as he could. And felt him pull out and push back in. 

He was calling Justin’s name now. Moaning and twisting against Justin's body. And Justin was sucking hard on his nipples while he thrust into him over and over again. “Harder” Brian heard himself say and then pulled his bottom lip into his mouth. Justin’s fingers were speeding his ass wide and his fucking mouth was all over him, as he lay there almost immobile.

His cock was hard now and he arched as much as he could to rub it against Justin's soft body. He wanted to feel him. He needed the friction and Justin bore down on him, moving his hips and taking his hands off of his ass to stroke his dick until he finally came again. 

He saw white light behind his eyelids, his head thrown back, his arms taut his hands grasping at anything and he felt Justin come just a few thrusts later. Moaning Brian's name.

Justin collapsed on top of him, still inside him. And he wanted his arms free so he could wrap them around the kid. He deserved a little affection right before he killed him. 

A few minutes later. Justin untied his legs with shaky fingers. “If you kill me I can’t do this again.”

“That’s the whole point in killing you.”

Justin pretended to pout. “You didn’t like it?”

He ran a finger over the come that was still drying on Brian's stomach and looked at it questioningly. Then he sucked his own finger. Licking gently, his pink tongue flitting out and curling back in. “Hmmm, tastes like you.”

“Untie my hands.” Brian growled. And Justin lay his body on top of Brian’s wet sticky one and reached up to release his hands. “If you kill me I can’t ever blow you again.” he whispered while he undid the last restraint.

Brian pulled Justin closer, if that was possible. Laid one hard swat on his ass “twat.” And then wrapped his arms around him. 

They fell asleep like that.

.  



	12. Chapter 12

  
  


* * *

  
**Brothers Keeper**  
 **Chapter Twelve**  


* * *

When they finally came to, both Brian and Justin were more sore than either was willing to admit to the other. Justin bit back a groan as he stretched and Brian was flexing the fingers on his hand and staring at it intensely trying to determine if anything was broken.

Justin moved to sit next to him on the bed. “X ray?”

Brian shook his head. “Shower. I’ve got back to back meetings all day.”

Justin called Alicia's house and told Aaron he was on his own to get to school today, but plans were off if he didn’t go.

Aaron balked, but Justin reminded him that they called his mother if he didn’t show…so he could always check with Alicia. Aaron caved. And Justin promised to pick him up by three in front of the school.

Justin walked slowly to the bathroom and finished taking a piss just as Brian winced while turning the shower knob. “Brian.”

“Don’t fucking start.”

Justin slid into the shower behind Brian. “I just think that…”

Brian silently wrapped his left hand around Justin's damage wrist and held Justin's still cramped fingers under the hot water. He said nothing. His determined expression and raised eyebrow spoke volumes. 

Justin sighed in defeat. “So we nurse our wounds together in private.”

“Seems to be our M.O.”

There was no time for anything more interesting than actual hygiene in the shower. Well not much more than actual hygiene. They were both getting dressed and waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. 

“You in the studio today?”

“Yeah. I’ve got to call the gallery… I ignored their last two emails but they called sometime last night, left a message about some changes or something.”

“I’ll be there at around one.”

“There might be paint all over the place by then.”

“Not coming there for that.”

“Then for what?”

“Got a planner coming in to do an estimate on turning the place back into a club.”

“You’re gonna re-open?”

“Considering the option. Have to decided soon. Three weeks and the liquor license runs out. They’re a bitch to re-apply for.”

Justin kissed him on the cheek. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Not like I’m gonna be there every night. No time. No energy. No inclination.”

“Pfft, you’ve got the energy. You could make the time.”

“The inclination’s the one that’ll keep me away.”

“Really?”

“Already told you. Not looking to be the aging club boy.”

“It’ll still be nice, to have _our_ place back.”

“It’ll be a little different. Time to update.”

“It’ll be fabulous.”

“Don’t talk like Emmett.”

“Sweetie why not?” Justin used his best Emmett voice and Brian laughed over his coffee cup.

“You really think I should re-open?”

“I think you should do what _you_ want. I think you want to re-open.”

“I think I do too. Have to start marketing heavily before it’s ready though. Get the buzz going. Not really in the mood to hemorrhage money on the first few nights.”

“Look who learns from past experiences.”

“Yeah, trying something different. Brand new mistakes instead of the same old ones.”

“I like it.”

“See you at one?”

“You want me to be there for the meeting?”

“You have a good eye for shit like this…”

“I’ll come down and hear what the guy has to say.”

“It’s gonna cost a fortune.”

“The insurance money will cover some of it.”

“Yeah, the profits better cover the rest.”

“Is that really an issue?”

Brian looked up… “What?”

“Money?”

“No.”

Justin smiled. “Okay then, I’ll see you later.” He kissed Brian one last time before he headed to his studio. He called the gallery while he was driving.

The gallery conversation was actually necessary, and frightening, and exhilarating. One of the other two artists had dropped out. Some London show had picked him up and he was focusing on that. This meant they were only going to feature two artists. Himself and some guy whose work Justin had seen. He was impressed. But they needed more pieces from him, and the show was seven weeks away. 

Bypassing the editing equipment and started to stretch a canvas. He realized his hand was hurting more than he thought, and his back was more than a little sore where the bruise had started to turn from dark blue to an angry purple. 

He gave up and went back to work on the computer, cursing his fucking father for putting him back to having to rely on manipulating his art digitally instead of with brush and oil the way he preferred. 

He worked hard; ignoring the pain in his hand as he mentally killed his father in about a hundred different ways. The creative ideas found their way into some very angry and powerful art. And he’d lost track of the time completely when he heard Brian calling for him.

He came down the steps slowly, his body still hurting when it was jarred too roughly. He needed a fucking aspirin… or something stronger.

Brian leaned in and kissed him. He was a little surprised because the contractor was standing right there but then he remembered, the contractor was there to design the newest gay dance club in Pittsburgh. The guy was probably gay, or at the very least comfortable with the concept. He kissed him back.

“Not covered in paint.”

“Fucking father. Fucking hand. Working on the computer.”

“Fucking Craig.”

“Yeah, and they want more pieces than they originally asked for. Gonna have to buy pre-fucking stretched canvases.”

“I’ll help you later.”

“Because you’re hand’s up to it.”

They heard a cough and remembered that there was a guy here to discuss Brian’s vision for Babylon. And what a vision it was. Larger stage, fewer cages, better sound system. Entirely new light show design. Entirely new layout. 

More bars, smaller, easier to cruise, Brian said. Positively pornographic ideas for the back room. And a couple of elegant VIP lounges tucked away in cozy spots.

Justin added his input here and there and the contractor nodded and took copious notes.

“I’ll run an estimate, can have it to you by Monday.”

Brian nodded and the guy, not so discreetly, cruised Brian, raking over his body with his eyes.

Justin pulled Brian closer and kissed him, letting his tongue slip inside his mouth. He pulled back a little. “Come upstairs, I want to show you something.” He whispered, so that the contractor could hear him. He pressed his body suggestively against Brian's.

Brian nodded to the guy. “Early Monday. I’ve got decisions to make.”

The contractor left while Justin was dragging Brian up to the studio.

“You know…we’ve got the entire building. We don’t need to disappear up here.”

“The rest of the place just feels wrong without all of gay PA watching.”

Brian laughed again. “You were less than subtle there with Paul.”

“Who?”

“The contractor.”

“Fuck Paul.”

“I thought the whole point was to keep me from fucking Paul.”

“Not keeping you from doing anything. Want you to fuck me. Now.”

“You’re going to kill me you know that.”

“You’ll die smiling.” Justin had kicked off his shoes and was removing his pants. 

Brian faked a very put upon look. “If you insist.” 

Justin was laying on the table now. He’d left his shirt on. The large bruise on his stomach was less than an aphrodisiac to Brian. “I insist.”

Brian’s pants were off and the condom was on in seconds. He was inside Justin just as quickly.

Later, they were sweaty and Brian had pushed Justin’s shirt up to get to his nipples. Now his hand ran soothingly over the large purple splotch on Justin's belly that ran from his navel to below his sternum. “You okay?”

  
Justin stretched languorously. “Mmm fine.”

“I mean.”

“Fine.” Justin’s tone was more firm this time.

Brian removed his hand. “Just checking. I’ve got to leave soon. I have a meeting at three.”

“I’ve got to go get Aaron. Probably bring him here while I get some more work done. Figure we can hit the clubs early and get the half-breed to bed at a reasonable hour.”

Brian snorted. “You’re deluded.”

“What?”

“He’s gonna stay 'til closing unless you drag him out of there and you’re not supposed to do that tonight as long as he’s not trolling for his own sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester.”

Justin leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“We’re gonna find out. And here.”

Justin was scowling. “Brian. If you ever take out your wallet while I’m still laying here naked again I’m going to kill you.”

“What?”

“Could I look more like a common whore right now?”

“Yeah, but that’s a fantasy we’ll save for later.”

“What are you doing anyway?”

“Giving you my card so you can get the kid decent club gear. Don’t even want to think about what he might decide is appropriate.”

“Like what, leather chaps and nothing else.” Justin shuddered.

“Actually I was thinking scuffed sneakers, and a flannel shirt.”

“Hey! Those sneakers were practically new.”

“Whatever. If I’m going with you make sure the kid doesn’t embarrass me. And get yourself some fucking clothes. I’m sick of you doing laundry every day.”

“I only brought two days worth of clothes. Didn’t know I was gonna be here that long. And everything left in the loft is sweatpants and hoodies.”

“So buy a couple pairs of jeans… and a shirt or something.”

“Okay seriously. Now I am your whore.”

“No, you’re my whatethefuck ever… boyfriend or something.”

“I’m your boyfriend?”

“Or something.”

“Fine, I’ll buy some clothes but only because I’m just as tired as you are of doing laundry every day.”

Brian kissed Justin who was still lying in a slightly post-coital haze on the table. “Glad you got the sturdy table.”

“Well, didn’t want either of us to get hurt.”

Brian looked pointedly at Justin's bruise and Justin self-consciously pulled his shirt back down. “Hurt when the table collapsed.” He added.

“Good thinking. See you tonight.”

“We’ll be back to the loft by seven”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~***~***~*~*~*~*~

Justin found Aaron in his usual spot, by the soccer goal on the field across from the school. He was talking to a couple of kids and Justin hoped maybe his friends had gotten over the shock.

Then he saw one of them push Aaron. An all to familiar scene was playing out in front of him. He stalked over to the escalating fight. Aaron was cursing, and pulled back an arm to throw a punch when Justin caught it.

“Get the fuck off me.”

“He glared at the boys who were currently unsure about what to do regarding the new player on the scene. One of the kids was already taller than Justin, but he didn’t fucking care. “Aaron, we had a deal. Go to the car.”

Aaron started to say something when Justin growled and hit the guy who was currently about to sucker punch Aaron in the back.

“Nice, hit a kid while he’s immobilized. Fucking asshole.”

“Justin had caught the kid in the chin and he was holding his face. “Who the fuck are you?”

“His brother. Go away before I kick all your asses.”

All three of Aaron’s would be assailants moved away, trying not to look like they were running.”

“What the fuck was that?”

“Me saving you from getting suspended.”

“I could have handled it.”

“I’m sure but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t, in the end, suspend _you_. Besides we had a deal, no trouble for four days in a row.”

“Hey, if we’re gonna talk about who’s been trouble this week…”

“We’re not. And we’re not gonna count this cause I don’t blame you. And I’m not as much a hypocrite as I can sometimes seem. Now come on. I fucking hurt my hand again, for which I’d like to kill you and them and Craig, but we don’t have time.”

“Why not?”

“Well, killing people takes planning and there could be a huge mess involved and we’ve got shopping to do.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re out of milk.”

Aaron sank further into the front seat. “I hate shopping.”

“I’m fucking with you. Brian says that if he’s coming with us you have to look decent. We’re getting you club gear.” 

Aaron perked up. “Brian’s coming.”

“You knew he would.”

Aaron smiled. “I get new stuff.”

“Yeah, but nothing so twink like I have to kill you.”

“Whatever.”

Justin smiled and lit a cigarette. Aaron took a pack out of his pocket and lit one too. Justin glance over…was going to say something and stopped. “Fuck.” He thought. “I am a goddamned hypocrite.”

“You need anything from home?”

“Nope I’ve got what I need in my bag.”

Justin headed towards the mall. He hated the mall, but shopping with Aaron on Liberty Avenue was an even less appealing option.

They finally found something suitable for Aaron, after some lengthy discussion. He looked okay. Not too skeezy, not too much like a rent boy, and not covered in anything really shiny. Justin grabbed a few pairs of jeans a couple pairs of boxer briefs that he knew Brian was going to complain about.

Brian would pay for just about anything, but not Justin’s underwear. It wasn’t a domestic thing, it was very much a “why the fuck are you wearing underwear” thing. But Justin didn’t care. And if Brian was gonna act like a sugar daddy…he was gonna treat him like one for the day.

He also picked up a couple of shirts that probably would stay at the loft. To avoid the paint contamination that everything in his apartment seemed to be suffering from.

He was looking at a couple of the newest Hugo boss ties for Brian when Aaron started whining about being bored.

“Deal with it.”

“But…”

“Shut up.”

Aaron did and Justin found a tie the exact shade of red as the shirt he’d found for Brian earlier. 

Aaron shrugged and they finally went to a register to pay for their purchases. When the salesman, who was seriously cruising him, called him Mr. Kinney, Justin smiled thanked him and walked away without a second look.”

“Brian paid for all that stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he know?”

“Yeah, or he will in a few minutes.”

“Wow, he really is a sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester.”

“You have no idea.”

“Watch.”

“What are we watching for?”

“Actually we’re waiting. You want a pretzel?”

“Can we go to Cinnabon?”

Justin shrugged. “Why not.”

They got their orders and sat at one of the tables in the food court. “Are we still waiting?”

Justin looked at his watch. It was almost six, five more minutes tops.

They ate the sugary sweet rolls that Brian would never allow in the house and as Justin was finishing his phone rang. He smiled. 

“Hi dear.”

“A thousand dollars on jeans and a t shirt?”

“I got stuff for you too.”

“At the fucking mall?”

“No, I magically discovered an a Sacks that wasn’t at the South Hills Mall.”

“Whatever.”

“See you at the loft?”

“Be home soon.”

Aaron looked confused. “How did he know?”

“He can look online and check his credit card activity.”

“How did you know?”

“He looks online and checks his credit card activity.”

“So he tells you to buy stuff, then checks and calls and yells?”

“Aaron, remember when you said we were twisted? You were right.”

“I really was.”

“First thing you’ve gotten right so far.”

“Fuck off.”

“Whatever. What do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t know.”

“There’s nothing at the loft so decide now. I have to pick it up.”

“Whatever’s fine.”

“If you go with ‘whatever’ it’s gonna be Thai food. Brian’s a sucker for it.”

“I hate that crap.”

“Then pick something else.”

“Pizza?”

“Uno’s or Tony’s?”

“Uno’s I want a deep dish special.”

They stopped at the one in the mall, bought something that wasn’t covered in three kinds of meat and four kinds of cheese for Brian and headed back to the loft.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian slid the door open when he heard the elevator. 

“Thanks. Little fucker here is no help at all.”

Aaron harrumphed and put the food on the kitchen counter. Justin dumped the shopping bags on the sofa.

“So what’d you get?”

“Jeans, t shirts, something far too tight and twinkie for him. But at least it’s not shiny and trashy.”

“I’m sure.”

“What? You wanted him in ridiculously expensive black jeans and a four hundred dollar sleeveless button-down?”

Brian smirked. “You love that look.”

“On you. Not looking to turn him into a little clone.”

“He couldn’t pull it off.”

“Right here…in the room.” Aaron said as he stuffed almost an entire slice of pizza into his mouth at once.

“He’s talented.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Brian was sorting through the bags. He came across the deep red shirt and tie. “Nice.”

“For you.”

“Boss.”

“For your label queen tendencies.”

“I guess I’ll keep them.”

“Thought you might.”

“What the fuck is this?”

“Don’t start.”

“You know I hate it when you…”

“Kid in the room, right there.”

“We’ll discuss this later.” Brian shoved the underwear back in the bag. He held up something else offensive to his personal sensibilities. “What are these?”

“Socks.”

“Big thick ugly socks.”

“You keep this place like twelve degrees. My feet get cold.”

“You’re not wearing them to bed.”

“Whatever.”

“Not.”

“ _What_ ever.”

Brian sighed. “You’ve regressed to your half-breed’s age.”

“I though you perved on that.”

“Kid, in the room, right there.”

Aaron snorted and Justin went to grab a slice of pizza before Aaron ate the whole damn thing. 

“There’s edible stuff in the bag for you.” 

Brian pulled out a salad, picked off the croutons and glared at Justin. “Sorry, forgot the no crouton policy.” He said as he popped one in his mouth. “They’re good.”

“They’re fried.”

“You do eat you know. I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah but Jesus, you’ve been here four days and I’ve put on half a pound.”

Aaron snorted around a mouth full of pizza again. “Beer or milk?” Justin asked as he stood in front of the ‘fridge.”

“Beer” they both responded.

Justin grabbed a soda for Aaron, and a couple of bottles of beer for himself and Brian. 

“Hey!”

“I’m sorry did you want the milk?” Justin asked innocently.

“You’re taking me out but I can’t have a beer here?’

“Right.”

Aaron pouted and Justin looked at Brian. “It’s okay princess, he said, running his hand over Justin's. You still do it better.”

“Fuck off.”

“Hey.”

“What.”

“C’mere.”

“What?”

Brian took Justin’s hand. “It looks worse.”

Justin tried to shrug it off but Aaron launched into a description of the little scene on the soccer field. Brian drank his beer and listened not taking his eyes off of Justin for the entire monologue.

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

“I was supposed to let him get suspended?”

“Better than you getting arrested. You may look twelve but, in jail, that’s a bad thing.”

“Brian.”

“I know. You were a good big brother.”

“Just doing my job.”

Brian shook his head wondering exactly how taxing of a job this might end up being.

Once they finished eating and Aaron was in the shower they had a chance to talk privately. Justin was straddling Brian’s lap on the sofa, trying to distract him. It wasn’t working.

“How close did they come to hurting him?”

“He can take care of himself.”

“Or you will.”

“Someone has to.”

“Justin. You can’t do this.”

“This?” he asked as he ground his ass against Brian.

“No,” Brian’s voice was a little deeper now. There was a catch in his breath when he started to speak again. “You can do that all you want. You can’t make yourself responsible for him.”

“He’s my brother.”

“Your family may be as toxic as mine.”

“No. He’s just a kid trying to figure shit out.”

“Yeah well, can he do it without you being the punching bag in the middle.”

“I wasn’t the punching bag. I was using the other kid as one.”

“Well I feel better now.”

“Let it go.”

Aaron came out then, dressed in his new clothes. Brian eyed him. “Not bad.”

Aaron smiled a little and sat down, draining the last of Justin’s beer before either of them could say anything about it. “Are we ready to go.”

“I’ve got to shower.”

“I’ll join you.” Justin said and Aaron let out a long sigh. “We’ll never get out of here.”

“There’s nothing but trolls this early anyway, keep your pants on.”

Aaron smirked. “I will…at least 'til we get there.”

They both shot him a look and disappeared into the bathroom.

  
Justin was dressed and Brian was appreciative. “Those look hot on you.”

“That’s why I bought them.”

“I bought them.”

“I chose them.”

“Whatever. Too bad you have to wear long sleeves.”

“Don’t really feel like getting hit on by guys who think I’m kinkier than I am.”

“You could be kinkier?”

Justin smiled “probably, but not looking to become dungeon Don… or do dungeon Don. Or anyone who KNOWS dungeon Don.”

“You sure?” Brian slid his arms around Justin's waist, feeling the soft dark brown leather against his still naked body. “You might like it.”

“Don’t be gross and go get dressed.”

He sat down next to Aaron who was looking guilty. He looked around to find the possible reason. “He’s gonna kill you for raiding his stash.”

“It wasn’t his it was mine.”

“You brought weed to school?”

“Just cause I wanted it for tonight.”

Justin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t do it again. Don’t fucking think about doing it again. And…” he picked up the roach and sniffed it. “Fucking kill the guy who sold you this skunk weed.”

“When can we go?”

“It’ll be a while longer, he’s fucking with his hair.”

“His hair looks fine.”

“Because he fucks with it.”

“It’s not naturally mussy?”

“Are you sure you’re gay?”

“What?”

“Takes a while to look that good…” Justin could feel Brian listening to him, “at his age.”

He heard the snort and let it go. The he figured, damage already done, what could it hurt, and rolled a joint from Brian’s stash. He took a hit and passed it to Aaron. “It’s stronger than you’re used to so…”

Aaron was coughing before Justin cold finish the words.

“Christ he’s as bad as Mikey.”

“No, he has an excuse. He’s not used to it. You’d think Michael could remember from one hit to the next that this isn’t some bullshit you grew in your closet last week.”

“Leave Mikey alone.”

Justin said nothing. He didn’t hate Michael. He was really mostly fine with him but sometimes he wondered if Deb had dropped him on his head a lot as a child. 

“You ready?”

Brian nodded, shoving some condoms in his pocket and a couple of packets of lube. Justin frowned.

“You’re not gonna let me take _you_ to the back room. Justin’s frown disappeared. “Christ. You really think I’m still that big an asshole?”

“Old habits die hard.”

They headed out. Justin went first and Brian grabbed Aaron's arm handing him a couple of condoms and lube for his own pockets. “You fuck anyone without a condom you won’t have to get tested. I’ll kill you myself.”

Aaron smiled. Brian put his fingers to his lips and pointed towards Justin and Aaron nodded in understanding. Justin was right sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolesters did have their uses.

  



	13. Chapter 13

 

 

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Aaron’s POV

I know Justin’s my brother, and I should appreciate all he’s doing for me, but man Brian is so fucking cool.

It’s not just the condoms, it’s the way he walks and the way he talks and the way he doesn’t seem to put up with bullshit from anyone. Well, maybe he puts up with a little from Justin but even Justin said that he’d call him on it when it gets too aggravating. Now I know who I want to be when I grow up. I want to be Brian Kinney. He has his shit together.

I’m following behind them trying not to look too much like a tag along and I think he gets it because he puts his arm around me and we walk straight past the line and into Boy-Toy. I’m amazed.

I’ve been here once, or twice…okay about ten times before but I always had to bat my eyes and wiggle my ass, and sometimes blow the bouncer to get in. I’m not stupid. I didn’t think Brian was gonna have to blow the bouncer but I at least thought he’d have to pay the fucking cover charge. I was so sure Justin was, at least, gonna get carded. And I didn’t know how I was gonna get in but neither of them seemed worried and the bouncer just smiled at Brian and let all three of us in.

Maybe that’s why his arm was around me. I don’t care. I don’t want him. Not the way Justin wants him. He’s way too old. Hot as fuck, and he’s apparently pretty fucking amazing in bed too, at least from what I’ve heard when Justin tries to be quiet… They really forget anyone else is even in the room sometimes.

It’s freaky, and twisted. I was right on that count. They are a fucking twisted couple. And they bicker and shit, but sometimes I’m standing there, and it’s like they’re having this entire conversation, but they’re not touching each other and neither is talking. 

We head towards the bar and Brian holds up four fingers. The bartender nods. No words no wait, and the crowd just fucking parts. What is he, fucking royalty? The bartender puts four tequila shooters in front of them and I’m hoping one’s for me.

I pretend I’m assuming one is… Justin said I could drink once I was here. I follow Justin's lead and lick my hand and pour the salt on. They’re not saying a word. Excellent. I drink mine quick and almost choke. This tequila is not the shit I’m used to. Guys may buy twinks drinks; they don’t buy them the good stuff.

Brian apparently only buys the good stuff.

I’m almost choking but I just make a face and then I watch them. It’s twisted. Have I mentioned that? First Brian does a shot. And Justin’s holding his drink like he’s waiting for something. And then Brian lifts a second shot glass like he’s toasting Justin. They lick, they drink, and then Justin’s leaning in to eat the lime out of Brian’s mouth. Christ, it’s like a fucking piece of choreography. And I’m gonna pretend it’s not hot because he’s my fucking brother. 

I guess he’s hot, but he’s my fucking brother, and he’s an asshole. Brian’s the nice one. That’s obvious.

Brian raises an eyebrow and Justin nods. Brian holds up three fingers and this time I think he’s leaving me out. He’s not. They both stand back and watch me do the shot. And fuck them for looking amused. I take it like a man…almost. Justin ends up laughing and I shoot him a look.

Then they do their little lime face suck routine again and I feel someone put his arm around my waist. It’s Zack. I’ve danced with him a couple of times and he’s hot but it never went further than that. This time I’m thinking it’s gonna go further. I turn and smile at him and let him drag me onto the dance floor. I look back quickly and Brian is holding Justin’s arm…keeping him from coming after me. He whispers something in Justin’s ear but Justin doesn’t seem to find the same humor in the comment that Brian does. I wonder what he said but then Zack is grinding against me and the alcohol is going to my head just a little and I don’t fucking care what the sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester is saying to my half brother. What Zack is saying to me however…that’s of interest.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

The bartender put two bottles of beer in front of Brian. He handed one to Justin and smiled. “They still think I need to buy you drinks.”

“They can fuck off.”

He nuzzled Justin’s neck a little and got a less than enthusiastic response. “Stop staring, you look like a chicken hawk.”

“Most of these fuckers still think I’m a chicken.”

“You’re in a bad mood.”

Justin was staring so hard at Aaron Brian thought he might be trying Rage’s powers of mind control. “Won’t work… you can glare all you want.” Brian whispered to him under the heavy thrum of the music. “He’s gonna dance with guys. You took him to a gay dance club moron.”

“This was a mistake.”

“He’ll be fine.”

“Dance with me.” Justin grabbed Brian's arm and pulled him to the floor, and he could almost forget about the fact that his little half-breed looked like he was about to jerk that guy off on the dance floor when Brian rolled his hips against his and bent his knees just right so that their cocks were pushed together separated only by the black jeans Brian was wearing and the soft leather of Justin’s pants. “He’s gonna fuck him right here.”

“Didn’t you explain the rules of back rooms?”

‘I told him not to go there.”

“Oh that’s gonna work.”

“Brian. He’s….”

“He’s fine. Fucking dance with me, and let the kid have some fun. He’s at boy-toy. He’s pretty fucking safe. He’s dancing with another kid, and you’re the one who’s been walking around punching people all week. You’re lucky I let _you_ come out an play tonight.”

Justin wanted to laugh… he really did. “Okay, but…”

Brian turned him around, and pressed himself against Justin’s ass. “You’re too young to have a teenaged son. Relax… he’s not doing anything you didn’t do. Hell, he’s doing a lot less than you did.”

“What the fuck was I thinking.”

“Don’t know. I was too stoned to notice.”

“Bullshit. You were paying pretty close attention.”

“Yeah I was. Now shut up and dance with me.”

And they did. Brian wasn’t oblivious enough to offer Justin a bump or a hit. Both would dull his senses and Justin felt the need to be alert. He took one himself though, if for no other reason than to forget that he was at fucking boy-toy. 

He never really was much of a chicken hawk himself. And the place hadn’t gone up until after he was beyond his own chicken stage. He’d never really liked this place. But then again…

Murphy, the bouncer had worked at Babylon before the bombing… which made getting Aaron in pretty easy. And Jamie was tending bar. He wondered idly if he could lure Jamie back to Babylon once it reopened. He had class and knew when to card, and when to cut a guy off to keep the place from getting sued. He was good with names and didn’t skim from the till… yeah; he’d have to talk to Jamie later.

“Hey!”

“What?”  
  


“Where’d you go?”

“Huh?”

Justin walked back to the bar and Jamie handed them each a beer. 

“I was thinking about how much better Babylon’s gonna be than this cheesy place.”

“Yeah, but the DJ’s good, you should hire him.”

Brian listened for a few seconds as one song faded to another… “Yeah, I might.”

Jamie leaned over the bar, “you reopening?”

“You want your old position?”  
  


“Sorry, seeing someone regularly now Brian, but I’d love to tend bar there again.”

Brian and Justin both laughed. “I’ll call you when we’re at the staffing stage.”

“Thank god…all these fucking twinks, he looked pointedly but good-naturedly at Justin.”

“I know, fucking little kids, tips must suck.”

Jamie sighed. “Gotta make a living. Call me.”

Brian nodded and Justin kissed his arm. “See people miss Babylon.”

“I paid Jamie almost twice what he makes here is my guess.”

“Well, okay, so the employees miss Babylon…but if Murphy ever let Aaron in here for a blow job he’s off the list of rehires.”  
  


“Justin.”

“Brian, that’s just bad company policy.”

Brain actually saw the logic to that. He was about to admit as much to Justin when he bolted after Aaron. Brian grabbed him just in time. “Stop.”

“He’s going…”

“Exactly where we told him not to? Justin be realistic.”

They danced again and Brian started to lead Justin to the back room…hoping they’d left enough time for Aaron to finish and get back to the dance floor. 

Aaron’s POV

This is definitely it. I’ve been here before. To this club. I’ve let guys buy me drinks before but this is different. Tonight I’m on a mission. My head’s buzzing a little from the tequila, and the two shots of cheap whiskey that Zack bought me… and then he offers me a bump and my eyes roll back in my head. I don’t know what he puts in that shit but it’s good.

I know they said no drugs from strangers but Zack doesn’t really qualify. I’ve seen him here a lot. We’ve danced a couple of times. We made out once but got interrupted by his friend who had the car and demanded that they leave. But tonight… I’m not letting anything stop me. 

He’s leaning me against the wall and I can feel the cold cinderblock against my back. He’s lifting my shirt even higher, his mouth attached to one of my nipples and I swear to god it feels like he’s trying to suck my dick through my body. Christ he’s good at this. His hands are working at my jeans and I’m working at his.

I’m fuzzy headed; a little, mostly just relaxed, and I can hear the sounds of other guys all around us.

Not exactly a lot of soft surfaces in a back room and the grunts and noises echo around until you’re not sure where they’re coming from. His mouth is on mine now and I swear to god I’ll deny it tomorrow, or possibly in ten minutes but right now, this second, I love Zack.

Joey was good. Better than Billy or Tyler. Those guys were just… I’m not even sure they were gay. I swear to god they didn’t know what to do with a naked man. Zack does. And I wouldn’t even have to be naked for him to do this to me. He’s doing this thing with his tongue behind my ear, and my hands are in his straight black hair. It’s too long. I like it like that. I can ball it up in my fists and pull his mouth against my neck. And then I feel his mouth moving lower again, and he flicks at my nipples and keeps moving lower. And fuck he’s got amazing hands and they’re on my ass now. I open my eyes just a little and the sight of a really hot couple just makes the whole thing hotter. The guy is black and like dark black, and he’s fucking some kid who’s skin is paler than my brothers. My brother? Get my fucking brother out of my head. I stare at the guy, bent over, his pale ass swallowing this guys huge black cock and I’m so hard it hurts.

Zack is licking me now and I didn’t know there were guys this talented with their tongues. I’ve only ever really done this with guys my age and they’re always fumbling around and not sure what to do, and the ones who won’t admit they’re gay might give you a hand job but this…

Oh Christ. His mouth his so hot and wet and I want to just start pumping into his face but I know that’s rude. I curl my hands in his hair again and watch the black and white couple, that looks like some kind of really hot old movie finish. 

My eyes are closed and I feel my dick hit the back of Zack’s throat and I’m trying to think of something, anything to keep me from coming too fast. But Zack seems determined to get me there at warp speed. He’s cradling my balls with one hand, the other is kneading my ass, and the sensations are just too much and I can’t think and I can’t stop, and I grip his hair in like this death grip to warn him but he doesn’t get the hint, or doesn’t care. I’m coming and he’s swallowing and I’m telling you right now I fucking love Zack.

When I open my eyes again a few moments later, leaning in to kiss him, I pull back. I know he’s mad. He thinks it’s cause he just blew me, but that’s not it at all. I’m getting a death glare from a blonde I know a little too well these days, and his sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester is laughing. Fucking assholes…both of them.

Zack leans in against me. I hear him whispering in my ear “hey, relax.” And I’m trying. My knees feel like rubber. I just came harder then I think I’ve ever come, and my brother looks like he’s about to show off his street gang skills on the guy I’m planning on fucking in about two minutes, once I can breathe again.

Zack offers me another bump and I want to take it but even Brian’s face changes. I push his hand away. “I’ve um…I’ve gotta…” I try to finish my sentence but Justin's hand is around my wrist and I’m being dragged out to the alley. 

I think I’m done loving Zack. I’m pretty sure he’s done loving me as I hear him yell “asshole!” after me. And I know I’m just starting to really hate having an older brother.

Brian’s following behind the two of us and I’m hoping for some intervention here. But he doesn’t look like he’s gonna offer any at the moment.

“What the fuck was that?”

Okay. I shouldn’t smile. I get that. He’s pissed and he has a mean right hook, but seriously, you’d think he could recognize a blowjob when he saw one. “A blowjob.”

Apparently that was the wrong answer. Justin throws the right hook but he’s not aiming at me and it hits the wall by my head. I move away from him and Brian’s actually holding him back a little now, and checking his hand for damage or something.

“Aaron, go back inside and play with your little friend.” Have I mentioned Brian’s the nice one? He hands me a bullet of my own. “Not from him.” he says in this really determined tone.

He’s mad about something and I’m not sure what so I just shrug and he holds the door that he never let close so I can duck back in. Zack is gone. FUCK…or not…which is more of a reason to be pissed. Brothers suck.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian rubbed his thumb over Justin's knuckles and saw him wince. “What the fuck was that?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

“Well, if you can’t recognize a blow job in a back room it’s either been too long or I failed terribly in turning you into the best homosexual you can be.”

“Fuck off.”

“Get over it. A sixteen-year-old kid went to boy-toy and got a blowjob. This isn’t exactly gonna make the gay gossip rounds.”

“Justin leaned his back against the wall and Brian leaned into him. “What’s with all the anger?”

“He’s gonna get hurt Brian.”

“No. He isn’t”  
  


“How the fuck can you say that?”

“Brian shrugged. “Because you’re gonna tell him when he’s about to step into a huge hole?”

“No one told me.”

“No.” Brian ran his fingers through Justin’s hair, pushing it off his face. “No one did. But he’s lucky. He’s got people who will.”

“I had people who would.”

“They didn’t know where the holes were.”

“This is a stupid metaphor.”

“Fine. They didn’t know the danger you were facing. I didn’t know the danger you were facing. You know the danger he’s facing.”

“Christ. He’s…”

“No, he’s not. He’s not gonna get hit in the head with a bat. He’s not gonna end up on the floor passed out from some bad drugs and in a coma. He’s not gonna run from one borrowed room to another because he has no home. He’s gonna be safe and he’s got this ridiculously protective older brother to make sure of it.”

Justin was banging his head against the wall and Brian again found himself putting both hands on Justin's head to get him to stop. “He’s safe.”

“I thought I was safe.”

“I know…but he’s safer.”

“Why?”

“You know he’s not safe.”

“You just said he was.”

“I’m trying to get you to stop giving yourself a concussion.”

“Fuck you.”

“Look. Lets buy the lad a drink, or not, since I just gave him a bump.”

“You what?”

“You want him taking them from strangers?” 

Justin's body sagged. Is there a safe place in the entire world for a gay kid with way too much courage and way too little sense?”  
  


“Let’s pretend, for tonight, that there is. That here, in a fine reputable establishment like this one, a kid can get his needs met and lose himself a little, kill a few brain cells and the worst he’ll suffer from is a vicious hangover.”

“Buy me a drink.’

“How bout I buy you three.”

“Four and it’s a deal.”

Brian nodded and kicked the door back open, dragging Justin through too quickly for him to get a good look at who may or may not be doing or getting done by his little half-breed.

They were both in better moods, and Justin was actually in a giggly drunk phase when Aaron found them again almost an hour later. He was sweaty and his shirt was tucked into the back of his jeans. Some other guy was standing near him but Aaron shrugged him off. 

Brian watched to make sure the guy wasn’t getting too insistent, and he looked like he was gonna make another attempt when he saw Brian’s eyes and backed away.

“Thanks, dance with a guy once he thinks you’re his for the night.”

“Gotta learn to say fuck off with just the right tone.”

“That should be what you call the VIP lounge Brian.”

“What?”

“Fuck off. It’s where you go when you want to fuck off.”

This made no sense to either Brian or Aaron but Justin found it hysterical. 

Brian looked over at Jamie. “Cut this one off.”

“Fuck you, it’s not your club. Jamie’ll give me another drink, wontcha?”

Jamie shook his head. “Sorry.”

“You owe me.”

Brian and Jamie looked at Justin. “How do you figure that?” Jamie finally asked when Justin didn’t seem inclined to continue.

“I let my whateverthefuck boyfriend thing fuck you and I didn’t rip your balls off.”

Jamie nodded and handed Justin a bottle of water. “Thanks for that.”

“He’s drunk.” Aaron observed.

“No shit, half-breed.”

Aaron ordered a beer and Jamie looked to Brian, he nodded and Aaron took it and drank half of it in a single swallow. Justin was leaning against Brian and giggling about something when a couple of guys Aaron had met before pulled him onto the floor to dance.

“You’re pretty.”

“Shut up twink, you’re drunk.”

“No I’m stoned.”

“Really?”

“You think you’re the only supplier of good shit in all of Pittsburgh?”

“I’m not a supplier.”

“Whatever.”

Brian wasn’t too worried. He trusted Justin not to take candy from strangers. He leaned in to kiss him but Justin yelled into his mouth instead “Emmett you’re back.”

“Sweetie, I didn’t go anywhere.”

“Oh right. I’m back.”

Emmet nodded “I can see that.”

“Didn’t expect to find you two here.”

“We’re watching the half-breed, and checking out the competition.”

“Like either of you two have competition.”

Justin snorted. “Business competition Emmett…Babylon shall rise from the dead.” He intoned in his best “movie guy” voice.

Emmett clapped his hands…”you’re gonna let me do the opening night event right?”

Brian nodded “who else but you Em?”

“Oooh when?”  
  


“No clue, just decided today.”

Emmett was about to say something else when a tall lanky kid with dark brown hair slid in and wrapped his arm around Emmett’s waist. “Where you been?”

Emmett smiled. “I was talking to my friends baby. “Brian, Justin, this is Gordon. Gordon, Brian, and Justin.”

He smiled at them. He was young and really hot. They all smiled and then Gordon pulled Emmett to the dance floor.

“Emmett got his own chicken.”

“Yes he did.”

“But you have yours.”

“You’re not really a chicken anymore.”

“Pfft. I’ll always be your chicken.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Good to know.”

He led Justin back out to the dance floor and for a while, it was really easy to forget that he was fucking dancing at Boy-Toy. That Justin couldn’t seem to stop punching things. That Aaron really wasn’t safe. That he was no longer Justin’s primary discopharmacologist. That Babylon was going to be a logistical nightmare, and mostly that Justin’s plane left in less than 72 hours.


	14. Chapter 14

  


* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Justin and Aaron were both wasted. Brian tried to herd them both into the elevator but it was like wrangling cats. One would start laughing. The other would duck out of the elevator for one reason or another and then he’d go get his errant twink. Once he dragged the wandering twink back the other one was off somewhere.

He sighed. Then he grabbed Justin by the waist, wrapped his fingers around Aaron's wrist and pulled them both. He practically held them against the wall with one hand while he pulled the gate down with the other. 

They could take the steps, but fuck, he didn’t feel like running up and down between floors retrieving one or the other.

Safely ensconced he hit the button and when the thing lurched the both of them fell to the ground giggling uncontrollably. He was not as highly amused, or as high, as either of them.

Justin had gone from giggly to morose and back to giggly throughout the rest of the evening. He realized now he should have tried this when Justin was in the morose stage. He was far more easily managed then.

They were still laughing, tears were streaming down Aaron’s face as he said something that Brian couldn’t quite understand. Justin seemed to because he was laughing too.

Brian lifted the gate and left them sitting there while he unlocked the door and disabled the alarm. He came back to find them play fighting and wrestling on the hallway floor. he grabbed Aaron by the collar of his shirt and pushed him into the loft. He picked up Justin and flung him over his shoulder. Justin was still laughing and slapping Brian's ass while he made some highly inappropriate comments considering his brother was now sprawled across the sofa.

Brian put Justin down once they were inside the loft and then locked the door and set the alarm. It was after four in the morning. They’d both wanted breakfast at the diner but he really wasn’t interested in seeing the Technicolor chunks that would create in a couple of hours so he’d brought them back here instead.

Aaron was now rummaging through the kitchen. “I need chips or something.”

Justin shrugged. “You’re outta luck… no chips. Nothing greasy. He’s old and afraid of fat. He thinks if he keeps it in the loft it’ll attack him in the middle of the night.”

Brian almost laughed. Instead he went to the closet and grabbed an extra blanket and a pillow. He threw them over the back of the sofa and grabbed a trashcan and put it there too…if the kid ended up hung over he’d rather throw out the trashcan than have to have the carpet cleaned or the floors refinished. 

He turned around and Justin was wrapped in the blanket snuggled into the sofa.

“Nope, Sonny-boy, sofa’s for the half-breed. You’re coming to bed with me.”

“Are you gonna take advantage of me?”

“Not tonight. Kid, in the room…right over there.”

Aaron snorted. “Like that stops you two.”

“Nothing can stop us.” Justin smiled up at Brian. “We’re unstoppable.”

“And you’re wasted. What the fuck did you take?”

“Stuff Matt got me. It’s aaaaamaaaaazzzing…you should try some.”

“Maybe next time.” Brian was liking Matt less and less. “C’mon, time for bed.”

“Howcum you’re the only one who can make that sexy?”

Brian decided the question wasn’t worth an answer. He offered Justin a hand and he took it. He pulled him off the sofa and led him to the bedroom where he shut all the louvers to provide the smallest modicum of privacy. 

He lay Justin on his own side of the bed and then went to the kitchen. He handed Aaron a bottle of water. “Drink this or you’ll have a headache.” Aaron shrugged, giggled and drank. He handed him another bottle… “for when you wake up with cottonmouth. Now go to sleep.” 

He turned and walked away with two more bottles not sure how he’d ended up with this job. Justin was already asleep and Brian took off his shoes, and socks and jeans. He left his shirt on. He hated to wake him but he had to. 

“Justin.”

“Mmmmmm sleeping.”

“Wake up, you need to take your fucking allergy pill and drink some water. I don’t want a grumpy twink who can’t breathe whining to me in the morning.”

Justin sat up slightly. He swallowed the pill and drank half the water. “Fuck me.”

“Kid, in the room, right there.”

“Fuck him.”

“Nope, not fucking either of you.”

“Having a brother sucks.”

“You should try having a boyfriend with a brother.”

Justin gave a looped sunshine smile “you keep calling me your boyfriend.”

“You said not to call you my partner.”

“I think you can use partner again.”

“S’okay, you smile better when I say boyfriend.”

“You think I’m not going to remember you said that tomorrow.”

“You’re not.”

“I should write it down.” Justin made an attempt to get up but Brian pushed him back. 

“I’ll write it down for you.”

“You’ll write it down wrong.”

“I think I can spell all those words.”

Justin nodded. “Okay.” And before Brian could respond Justin was asleep.

He checked on Aaron, who was pretty close to passing out himself and then stripped off his own clothes, and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. He didn’t care, but Justin was gonna get pouty if Aaron kept gawking at him. He sprawled out on his own side of the bed and Justin rolled onto his arm. He tried to push him off but that only made Justin crawl closer. Soon he was wrapped in twink. He closed his eyes and wondered how he’d ever get the feeling back in his arm. And how he was gonna manage to sleep again once Justin was back in New York.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Aaron woke up first. The other two seemed dead to the world. He felt fine. And even better after a huge glass of some weird juice he found. He pulled on his jeans and turned the TV on, keeping the volume low.

He’d found a couple of bagels and was finishing the second one and reflecting on how much fun he’d had the previous night when he heard movement from the bedroom. Justin was up, looking a little worse for wear. He stumbled into the bathroom and Aaron decided to just ignore him for a little bit. He was probably more grouchy in the mornings than he was the rest of the day.

He found a station playing music videos and sat back curled up on the sofa with a blanket around him. The place didn’t seem all that comfortable when you first looked at it… but the couch was really comfy. He fell back asleep.

Justin brushed his teeth wondering what had crawled into his mouth and died there last night. He brushed a hand through his hair. It was getting really long again. He needed to get it cut. He added that to his mental list of things to do once he got home. 

He tried to ignore the small pang in his chest. Home. He didn’t know why after ten months New York still didn’t feel like home. He had friends, he had connections with a couple of galleries, and he had a graphics firm that threw some freelance work his way once in a while. He had his own place, his own dishes and silverware and… it just still never quite felt like home.

But it’s where he had to be. And he liked it there. He didn’t sit around moping. He wasn’t miserable and pining. The clubs were amazing. The guys were hot. This was home. He heard Brian groan as he stretched. Brian was where home was. But maybe he’d be done soon. Maybe he’d make enough connections to be able to come back. 

He had told himself that once he knew he was okay. Once New York felt like home, then and only then, would he come back to Pittsburgh. He didn’t want to end up like Michael, unable to succeed anywhere outside the tiny world of Liberty Avenue. He needed to be an adult. And he was working on it. And he knew that this feeling was part of it. 

He pushed all the thoughts away as he started the shower. He needed to clear his head.

It worked, the siren song of hot water and naked blonde drew Brian into the bathroom before he was fully awake. Justin smiled and Brian wrapped his arms around him. They kissed for a few minutes, letting the water pound down on them. Justin turned so that Brian was shielding him from most of the stream and reached around to increase the hot water. Brian sighed into it and curled his body around Justin's. 

He started kissing his neck. And neither spoke a word but Brian managed to do exactly what Justin had asked by turning on the shower in the first place. He cleared his head.

By the time they were both dry and clothed it was almost eleven. “You have to take Aaron home?”

“Alicia had an appointment in the city she’d picking him up in about a half hour.”

“You going to the studio today?”

Justin shrugged. Not sure yet. Still enjoying a little lazy Brian time.”

“Mmm.”

The sat down on the floor in front of the sofa and Brian took the remote turning it to CNN. They watched the world collapse for a while until they heard Aaron's stretch and moan. 

“Hey, you guys are awake.”

“Yeah, and you’re mom’s going to be here in fifteen minutes. Put a shirt on.”

“She’s seen me without a shirt.”

“Has she seen those?” Brian asked poking at a few bite marks that Zack must have left when he was so expertly working his nipples. Or maybe it was that other guy later. Aaron had only a hazy memory of the evening after he and Justin had their little confrontation. Guys were buying him drinks. And there was a really hot one he’d made out with for a while. They’d sucked each other off….

“Kid. Shirt. Now.”

Aaron realized he’s zoned. “Sorry. Yeah. Shirt. Good point.”

Brian and Justin both shook their heads and when Aaron stood up to get his shirt they stole his spot on the sofa. 

“See.” Brian whispered into Justin’s hair “he’s fine. He had a good time and he’s not even hung over.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The buzzer sounded and Justin got up to answer it. He let Alicia up and invited her in. “Coffee?”

She smiled. “I’d love some.”

Justin started the coffee and Aaron came out of the bedroom looking less rumpled and fully clothed. “Hey mom.”

“Hi honey, did you guys have a good time last night?”

Justin glared at Aaron who smiled back. “Yeah, we went shopping and ordered pizza and then we watched some TV.” 

Justin had to admit he was impressed. None of that was a lie. It just omitted most of the truth at the same time. He nodded in agreement.

Justin poured the coffee. “Milk, cream, sugar?”

“Black’s fine.”

He poured himself and Brian a cup. “You drink coffee punk?”

“No. I’ll have a soda though.”

“You know where they are.”

Aaron slid off the stool and got himself a Mountain Dew. Brian grimaced. He didn’t know why he let Justin keep those things in the loft, then he remembered he’d picked up a case last week knowing Justin was coming in for the weekend. This whole Justin not being around thing was getting old.

He took his coffee from the counter and went back to watching the news, letting the family bond.

He almost interrupted, or choked on his coffee when he heard Justin extend an invitation to family dinner at Deb's on Sunday. He was surprised when Alicia accepted the invite. Justin said his polite goodbyes and closed and locked the door behind them. He set the alarm. 

He was sitting down on the sofa, his back against Brian’s chest. His head resting on his shoulders. Brian’s legs on either side of his own. 

“You invited them to Deb’s.”

“She asked me to.”

“They’re going.”

“I figured they might.”

“Are _we_ going?”

“I figured we should.”

“Deb’s gonna need to get a bigger table.”

“There’s space since Mel and Lindsay aren’t gonna be there.”

“Yeah.”

“You miss them.”

“I really don’t miss Melanie.”

“You miss Lindsay though.”

“And Gus.”

“And Gus. But they’re coming for Thanksgiving. You going to Deb’s for that?”

He felt Brian shrug against him. “Probably.”

“You know I’m sure my mom would be happy to have the three of you.”

“You know I’m sure Deb would be happy to have your mom and Molly since you’re gonna be there.”

“I am.”

  
”You don’t want to see Gus?”

“Fuck off you know I miss him too.”

“So tell your mom she doesn’t have to cook.”

“Okay.”

Brian held Justin’s hands between his. Justin moved one hand to turn Brian’s wrist so he could see the bruised knuckles. “Still hurting?”

“It’s fine.”

Brian ran his thumb over Justin’s markedly more damaged hand. “Christ, it’s swollen again.”

“I hit a brick wall.”

“What the fuck was that about?”

“Aaron wasn’t listening.”

“Hitting a brick wall helped.”

“I was angry.”

“You’ve been angry a lot lately.”

“Fucking half-breed.”

“Before that.”

“What?”  
  


“Fuckthesunshine?”  
  


“I’m angry because of my username?”

“No, I’m not sure why you’re angry.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t believe me.”  
  


“No, I don’t.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because you’re currently yelling at me for no reason.”

Justin leaned his head back against Brian's shoulder again. “I’m just a little tired Brian. And this thing with my brother hasn’t helped.”

“Tired?”  
  


“I work, I paint, I go out, I live, but…”

“But?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t even make sense.”

“‘S’okay, I’m used to your twisted logic.”

“Mine’s not half as twisted as yours.”

“True. So what’s going on with you?”

“Seriously nothing.”

“Nothing nothing, or nothing I have to worry about nothing.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not even close.”

“Let’s go with nothing nothing for now.”

“Which means it’s something, and probably something I should worry about.”

“Would you stop fucking worrying about me.” Justin launched himself out of Brian’s embrace and off the sofa completely. “I’m not some little kid who need your protection.”

“Who the fuck said you were?”

“You, acting like you have to worry about me.”

“Do you worry about me?”

“What?”

“You heard the question.”

“Of course.”

“Am I a little kid who needs protection?”

Justin snorted. “Only from yourself.”

“Okay. So this is that twisted hypocrisy you are so good at. You can worry about me. Specifically about me shooting myself in the foot but when I see you suddenly losing your temper over well, everything. I’m supposed to just accept that you’re an adult.”

“Right.”

Brian leaned back and sighed. “I won’t tell you when I worry.”

‘What?”  
  


“It pisses you off, I won’t tell you. I can’t stop doing it. So I’ll just stop telling you.”

“Bullshit. We had a deal. No holding shit back if we were in separate cities.”

“Okay, but I’m not gonna make an effort to make you angrier.”

Justin sat down facing Brian. “I’m okay. And you’re allowed to fucking worry. Just not too much, because I am okay. I’m just in New York, and I think the whole New York attitude thing is rubbing off on me.”

Brian gave a half smile. “Don’t get too rude. We can’t both be unbearable assholes.”

“I know. How the fuck did I get stuck being the nice one?”

“Compared to me everyone is.”

“It’s insane you know. I fucking hate people.”

“I know. And _I_ get blamed when you’re in a bad mood.”

“Well those are usually your fault.”

“Yeah, this whole week, you’ve been running around punching things because you’re pissed at me.”

“This week, you’re the only thing not working my last ounce of control.”

“I haven’t made you lose control? I must be slipping.”

“Not what I meant.”

“I know this thing’s pissing you off. And I know you are pissed at me about something. When you figure it out…will you let me in on it?”

“I promise.”

“You hungry?”

“Not for food.”

“Good.”

Once they were hungry for food they ordered in. Brian wasn’t sure anything had been settled. And Justin wasn’t sure he’d completely convinced Brian that he was okay. But they were okay together, and the rest just didn’t seem to matter right now.


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Brian picked Justin up at the studio so they could go to Deb’s together. He tried to ignore the small pang he felt when they walked down the steps. Justin’s computer was packed. His bag was in the car. He’d be on his way back to New York in six hours. He’d be fine. Brian knew that. They’d both be fine. He just… fuck. He just wanted him home.

“Brian lets go.”

He shook he head to clear it and smiled at Justin. Whatever was pissing him off would be resolved and forcing him back to Pittsburgh wasn’t going to help anything.

Deb's was in mid cacophony when they walked in. No drama, no problems, just everyone talking at once about everything.

Justin smiled and pulled him to the sofa where they sat close and let the noise wash over them. Neither was much in the mood to talk. 

Justin was drawing gentle circles on the back of Brian's neck with his fingers when they heard the noise die down. Both of them looked up and realized all eyes were on them. 

“Huh?”

“I asked when you were leaving” Deb said, obviously aggravated that they hadn’t been listening.

“Oh, um, my plane leaves at midnight.”

They all started talking about New York and Justin let them. None of them knew jack shit about New York. The more they talked the more clear that became. He smiled a little and let them make broad stereotypes and stupid tourist jokes and did his best not to think about the reality of it.

The reality wasn’t bad. He actually liked that the city really didn’t close. Everything in Pittsburgh was dead by three am, well except the diner, and even that was just club kids and hustlers. 

New York was alive 24/7. It was a cliché but it was also fucking true. He could walk out at four am and get a cup of coffee and find a couple of people he knew at the coffee shop he liked, doing the same thing.

It’s how he’d met Matt. Matt was a writer, and nocturnal and a coffee addict. Justin had been blocked and unable to come up with a creative idea to save his life. He’d spent five or six late night/early mornings downing coffee, sketching, looking for inspiration and Matt had been there with his laptop, staring off into space and pounding espresso like it was lifeblood. Eventually they’d talked. Shared artist angst. Shared a table, never a bed.

They’d gone to clubs together. Danced. He’d met some of Matt’s other artist friends. He’d assumed they’d be as annoying and pretentious as Ethan’s but they weren’t. 

They were all in the same boat. Broke, trying to find inspiration and representation for their work. Some were gay. Some were straight. Most of them had parents who wished they’d chosen something that produced a paycheck on a regular basis. Some had parents who assumed they’d do that once they were past this phase. 

He realized that he liked some of them, didn’t much care for others and that he was very very lucky. Lucky to have Brian. Lucky to have a mother who wasn’t intent on nagging him to get a “real job”. And he was lucky to have the kind of buzz he was getting.

And there was buzz. He’d had a few small articles and reviews in the alternative weekly papers. He’d had a couple of artist representative agents express interest. And he didn’t have to deal with the lovesick bullshit that some of them were going through.

Zoë and Jared were a couple, then they weren’t then they were… it was all too familiar and he stayed away from the high drama. He had enough of that at home. 

He realized, as he listened to Emmett tell a highly improbably story about a star sighting in a club he’d visited with some old boyfriend that he actually missed his friends there a little. He felt Brian's hand tighten on his knee. He realized he was gonna miss Brian a little too. 

Justin stood up quickly. “I need a cigarette.”

Brian followed him out. They were standing in front of the house smoking in silence when Alicia and Aaron pulled up. 

“Hey guys.”

“Hey.”

Aaron looked like he was about to pull out a cigarette and join them when Justin shot him a look and the little half-breed seemed to remember that his mother was standing behind him. 

“Guess we’ll go in and say hi.”

Justin nodded and put out his cigarette leading them inside. Aaron liked to play things cool but this family could be nerve wracking.

Brian stayed outside a little longer. Justin was already gone. His brain was in New York again. He had a life there, and he was supposed to. Brian wasn’t jealous of it, or resentful, he just… okay maybe he was a little resentful but he knew that was just his own bullshit, not Justin's.

They’d made this deal. They knew it was going to be hard. They’d stuck to it and they were still fine. But this is why it was harder when Justin came for more than a weekend. They were so comfortable together. Longer than three days and they just slipped into their old rhythms. It became easy to forget not to get used to him being there. And harder to get used to the place being empty once he was gone again. But crisis averted. Aaron in the loving and smothering arms of the entire fucked up clan. And Justin had a show in seven weeks. Time for him to go back.

He’d be there for the show if Justin wanted him there. But he might not. He got nervous, got flustered. And he’d admitted once, he didn’t want to feel like he needed Brian to get through the stage fright. Brian didn’t think that one was gonna stop hurting for a while. Wasn’t he supposed to need him, just a little? Not because he was a kid, but because they were a fucking couple. He put out his own cigarette and walked back in pushing the fucking lesbionic thoughts away. Justin was still here. Dinner would only take two of the six hours. And they’d taken the Jeep Commander. They’d get in a little more alone time together before he got on the plane.

Emmett was talking to Aaron. Justin was talking to his mother and everyone else seemed to be talking in general. He wasn’t sure who was listening. He sat back down. Tired. He missed Gus. He missed Lindsay. Maybe he’d go up to Toronto next week. He went back outside and called them.

Gus was fine, and happy to hear from his father and Brian felt a little better. He’d definitely go to see them next week or the week after that depending on his schedule.

Justin leaned his head out. “Deb’s getting pissed. You’ve gotta eat something or she’ll be at the loft with food for the rest of the week.” Brian sighed. He knew Justin was right.

He came back in and sat down to dinner. They all had migrated to the table and the evening passed without too many hurt feelings or unkind words. And Aaron and Justin seemed to be laughing together at something but Brian couldn’t hear what it was because Michael was yammering about Jenny-Rebecca. He ate. At least you could always count on Deb for good rigatoni. And soon enough they said their goodbyes.

Justin was bouncy and in a seemingly good mood when he got in the car. “That went better than expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

Justin shrugged. “Not sure, just… I don’t know. Deb to read Alicia the riot act, or Aaron and Hunter to get into some sort of scowl off.”

Brian laughed. “Well, Alicia took the t-shirt and the button and promised to be at the next PFLAG meeting, so she’s off Deb’s shit list. And Hunter seems to have mellowed.”

Justin shot him a glance. “Okay, Hunter is sure Aaron isn’t trying to hit on me so he doesn’t feel threatened.”

“Like Aaron’s a threat. Stupid punk ass kid.”

“Which one Hunter or Aaron.”

“Both I think.”

“Yeah that anger thing is coming along well.”

“Fuck you.”

“Twenty minutes. We’ll be at the airport.”

“Brian my plane doesn’t leave for another few hours.”

“But I haven’t shown you how the seats in the back fold down completely.”

“Oh. Yeah, I actually want to see that.”

“You’re not gonna see much but the ceiling.”

“That sounds good too.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian drove back to the loft. It was worth the forty bucks short-term parking had cost. It was worth the fact that he’d have to have the car detailed to get the footprints off the ceiling and the come stains off the carpet. It was worth all of it to take his time saying goodbye.

He grabbed a beer and checked his watch. Another half hour at least. He loaded the program he’d bought for space layout and started entering the information for Babylon. He’d loaded the program on Justin’s new machine too. The kid was better at layout and design than he was. But he wanted to give him a rough idea of what he had in mind.

He noticed a file already named Babylon and clicked on it. The lad really _was_ a fucking genius. The layout was far better than what he had planned. He spun the room 180 degrees and then looked at it from a bird’s eye view. Nice program. Nice kid. Nice club. The phone rang.

“Hey.”

“Back, no crashes. No turbulence.”

“Good.”

“Take a cab?”

“Not having this argument.”

“Call me when you get home?”

“Yes dear.”

“Fuck off.”

“Yes dear.”

Brian closed his phone and continued dicking around with the software, adding touches and trying a few things out. Wondering if reopening Babylon was even a good idea. But he knew it was. Well, he thought it was. It was.

Two hours later he’d gotten some work and a lot of drinking done. He’d finished off a proposal for a new company and smoked two rather potent joints. The phone rang again and he picked it up as he moved away from the computer and towards the bed. 

“You all tucked in for the night.”

“I’ve got work to do before I can do that.”

“Why?”  
  


“Meeting with the gallery tomorrow, need to do some more editing and a couple of rough sketches.”

“Guess you didn’t have as much time to work as you wanted this week.”

“Fucking Craig.”

“Yeah he made you hit a guy and a wall.”

“Bite me.”

“Sorry didn’t mean to remind you it wasn’t entirely Craig’s fault.”

“You’re defending him?”

  
”Not in this lifetime.”

“Just checking.”

“Hey, when did you find the time to redesign Babylon?”

“Woke up one night, couldn’t sleep. Neat program.”

“Yea, it’s on your machine too so I could send you files, get your input.”

“Good idea.”

“Don’t need it now. The layout you did is better than what I had planned.”

“Bullshit.”

“Take the fucking compliment.”

“Thanks.”

“So how late are you gonna be up tonight?”  
  


“Gonna be an all nighter. I have to get these rough sketches out. This show might be important.”

“So call me if you get bored.”

“Are you bored?”

“No I’ve got a shit load of work to do myself. I was a little busy this week and construction will probably start on Babylon next week, so I’m gonna have to really get a lot of loose ends tied up at the office.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?” Brian lit a cigarette and waited. Justin was trying to say something he could feel it.

“Nothing, just feels weird to be back home.”

“Weird?”

“I don’t know, it’s like when I’m there too long I forget that I have here.”

“And then you’re there.”

“Don’t start. I don’t forget when I’m here that I have there.”

“Well, that dump you call an apartment is pretty forgettable.”  
  


“Yeah, but it’s not meant to be a fuck pad.”

“I should hope to hell not.”

“Brian…”

“Not saying a word, I’m not the hypocrite.”

“You so are. Just not about that.”

“Having different rules for different people does not make me a hypocrite.”

“Having different rules for yourself and the rest of the world?”

“That make me _me_.”

Justin laughed. “Yes it does, and I’d hate for you to not be you.”

“Yeah that would suck.”

“It really would.”

“You okay?”

“Told you I was.”

“Told you I believed you.”

“So we’re both liars.”

“Seems that way.”

“Brian. As soon as I figure out what’s wrong, I promise you’ll know.”

“Good.”

“I have to go. If I don’t start I can’t finish.”

“Yeah, me too. Call me after the meeting.”

“Thought you had a lot of work to do.”

“I’ll make time.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Two weeks later Brian was leaning over a folding table in Babylon looking over the blueprints with Paul. 

“You sure?”

“I’m sure, the main line goes through there, so unless you want the place to explode again we have to move that wall.”

“How far back does that set us time wise?”

“None really we haven’t started that section yet. The plans have to get changed and we have to get approval and we’re still waiting for a permit before we can start the plumbing. You’ll open on time.”

“I want it by new years.”

“You’ll get it by new years.”

“You said on time… what abut on budget.”

Paul smiled. “Pick one.”

Brian grimaced. “I pick both. Make it work.”

Paul was smiling a little less as he walked away. Brian was considering killing himself by cutting his own throat with the fucking blueprints when a far to cheery little half-breed-in-law tapped him on the wrist. 

“Hey.”

“What the fuck are you doing here.”

“Christ, I had the day off, teachers conference or something, thought I’d stop by.”

“I’m working.”

“You’re at a club.”

“Do you hear the saws and hammers? I’m not here to party.”

“I was gonna go out tonight. Wanna come?”

Brian looked at him. Took Aaron's head between his hands and stared hard. “What the fuck are you on?”

“Nothing.”  
  


“Did you just invite me out on a date?”

Aaron laughed “ewww, you’re like old, and my brother in law or something.”

“Or something.”

“I just thought…”

“You just thought I could get you in to a club without your getting carded or having to pay the cover.”

“And then maybe you’d buy me a drink.”

“This is sounding like a date.”

“Wow, I don’t know what kind of dates you go on, but they must be disappointing.”

“No one’s ever disappointed. Trust me.”

“Whatever. I’m going to Pistol tonight, come with.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re my under aged half-breed-in-law. And my of age, whatthefuckever would kill me.”

“You’re afraid of Justin?”

“ _You_ should be.”

“Pfft, he’s all bluster.”

“Aaron… how many people did he hit while he was here for five days?”

“Um two.”

“And how many do you think he’d hit if I took you out and got you drunk and laid?”

Aaron smiled “two”.

“Very good. You can do the math.”

“But.”

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re giving me a headache.”

“Well, I’ll be at Pistol.”

“Wait.” Brian didn’t want to ask but he had to. “How do you usually get in to Boy-Toy?”

“I can’t get in unless that black guy is working the door. When the big blonde is there he won’t let me get past.” 

Brian smiled. Murphy was on the rehire list. “And Pistol?”  
  


“The big blonde guy doesn’t work there.”

Brian sighed. “I’ll meet you there at nine. Don’t be late.”

He saw Aaron rock from one foot to the other. “What?”

“Nothing just…”

Brian sighed and handed him a key. He grabbed a piece of paper and knew he was making a monumental mistake. “Here’s the pass code. Lock it when you get in. Don’t steal anything. Don’t go in the bedroom and if you leave and don’t set the alarm I will kill you. If you don’t believe me call your brother.”

Aaron left whistling and headed towards Brian’s loft to kill the rest of the afternoon. Brian was definitely the nice one.

When he got there he logged on to Brian's computer. Justin was online.

> Stroke16: You there?”
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: yeah, what’s up?
> 
> Stroke16: did Brian kill you?
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: what?
> 
> Stroke16: he gave me a key to the loft but told me to ask what happens if I forget to set the code. Told me he’d kill me.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: you’re in the loft? On Brian’s computer?
> 
> Stroke16: duh.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: download porn and he’ll kill you.
> 
> Stroke16: did he kill you for that? 
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: no we do that together, not the point. He has work shit on there, and he never updates his virus software.
> 
> Stroke16: I can do that for him.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: good do that… and still don’t download porn.
> 
> Stroke16: pouting.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: cut it the fuck out. And seriously. Do. Not. Forget. To. Set. The. Alarm. He’s been robbed once.
> 
> Stroke16: you forgot to set the alarm and he got robbed?
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: don’t want to talk about it. I’m just warning you.
> 
> Stroke16: he forgave you.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: no, never really did. He just got over it.
> 
> Stroke16: what’s the difference. 
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: he still gets to bring it up when we fight.
> 
> Stroke16: so all the time.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: we do not fight all the time.
> 
> Stroke16: no you bicker like an old married couple.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: I have work to do and shouldn’t you be in school?  
>    
> 
> 
> Stroke16: Teachers conference
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: homework?
> 
> Stroke16: whatever MOM
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: fuck off.
> 
> Stroke16: was planning to.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: why are you there?
> 
> Stroke16: bored
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: he’s not a toy, neither is his loft.
> 
> Stroke16: but he is fun to play with
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: don’t be gross and don’t fuck with his head.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: I’m not fucking with his anything, he’s like 20 years older than me, sheesh. I just came by to say hi. He told me to go away. I had nowhere to go. He gave me the key to the loft. Now I’m here.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: fine. Whatever. I really have shit to do.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: fine, whatever I just wanted to know what you did to piss him off about the alarm.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: and now you know.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: you coming back to town soon?
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: hopefully once before Thanksgiving and then for Thanksgiving.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: mom said we’re going to Deb’s
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: that’s where I’ll be.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: this is bizarre.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: heard from Craig?
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: he called, I hung up on him
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: good plan.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Stroke16: was I supposed to talk to him?
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: wasn’t being sarcastic.
> 
> Stroke16: how the hell would I know that? snark is your default setting.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: going to work now. Go find some friends your own age.
> 
> Stroke16: like you did.
> 
> Fcukthesunshine: goodbye half-breed.
> 
> ****Fcukthesunshine has logged off****

Aaron sat back in Brian's chair and got to work. He downloaded the software patches Brian needed and upgraded his ant virus software. Then he did a little low level disk clean up and some basic maintenance. The machine was running better when he was done and he grabbed a beer and turned on the television. This place was so much cooler than home.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian moved further away from the hammering and power tool noises and called Justin.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Why is my half-breed in the loft?”

“Long story.”

“Got time.”

“He came here, he’s under foot and we’re going out tonight.” 

Brian waited for what he knew was coming.

It didn’t come. He heard a resigned sigh instead. 

“You’re not gonna scream?”

“Would it make a difference?”

“He was going anyway. He’s safer with me.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not screaming. Have I been screaming a lot lately?”

“Kind of.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re stressed.”

“No shit.”

“How’s the work coming?”

“Not bad. If it stays on schedule I’ll be able to sneak away for a couple of days mid October.”

“That’s not for three weeks.”

“You can come here.”

“Next weekend I’m in Toronto.”

“Say hi to Gus for me.”

“You could come with. I’ll get you a ticket meet you at the airport.”

“Can’t next weekend. ILDC sent me some freelance work.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah but I have to actually finish it or they’ll never use me again.”

“I have faith in you.”

“Yeah, I know, I just wish I did. They’re idiots and they want something crappy.”

Brian laughed. “Make it good anyway, even if they want it to be crappy.”

“Is that what you do?”

“Yeah, and you know it.”

“I’m not sure I can afford to do that yet. Don’t have the ‘fuck you’ money.”

  
”Doesn’t take the money. It takes the attitude. Trust me, you _have_ the ‘fuck you’ attitude.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Justin. Is there anyone who can do this better than you?”

“No.”

“Are they lucky to have your services for the short time between your starving artist phase and your wildly successful no one can afford you phase.” He could hear Justin smiling.

“Damn lucky.”

“Then remember that.”

“Okay.”

“So Paul’s calling me. He’s probably going to tell me to knock the place down and start from scratch”

“Still shooting for new years?”

“Yeah. You gonna be home for that.”

“I’ll be there, wouldn’t miss the return to Babylon”

“Stop using the movie guy voice.”

“Why it cracks me up.”

“Then use it all you want.”

“Thanks for the permission. Hey…keep an eye on Aaron tonight.”

“Why the fuck else would I be going with him?”

“Good point.”

“Paul really does need something.”

“Go give it to him.”

“Not that kind of something.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Justin hung up the phone smiling. Brian was right. They were damn lucky to have him. And this shit he was working on for the show was good.

He grabbed his coat and his phone and headed out to meet Matt and Zoë for coffee. He’d be back in Pittsburgh in a couple weeks. Things were fine and he and Brian were still on an even keel. As long as he didn’t think about it too hard, everything was fine.

[ inside the pretty new car ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/jeep_commander_2006_2.jpg)

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Justin was listening to Zoë whine, about Jared, again, and he was bored. He mindlessly sketched something on his napkin and tried not to laugh when Matt rolled his eyes at Zoë’s little mope fest. 

Matt pulled the napkin out from Justin’s fingers. 

“Him again?”

Justin shrugged. “Just habit. Been drawing him for a long time.”

“You really should find someone local.”

“You really should shut the fuck up.”

“Pissy today.”

“Just today?”  


Matt laughed. “Oh, hey, good news. That thing I wrote got accepted. And they say they might use me again.”

“Which thing you wrote?”

“The fictional account of an artist and his gay half brother.”

“Oh shit. Someone’s publishing that bullshit.”

“It’s apparently quite the intriguing story.”

“Where are they publishing it?”

“Relax, no place anyone will ever see it. Some obscure gay lit short story collection.”

“Just what the world needs. More bullshit about gay drama.”

“Hey, beats that fucking gay as blazes show that was about as queer as Zoë here.”

“You um didn’t…”

“All names have been changed to protect the innocent…and not so innocent.”

“Good.”

“You’ll be unrecognizable, I gave you brown eyes.”

Justin laughed. “Yeah, cause that’s what defines me, my fucking eyes.”

“No, I think it’s your ass.”

“You two should just do the deed and get it over with.” Zoë interrupted.

“You don’t fuck your friends.” They replied in unison… they’d had this conversation before.

“Gay etiquette is beyond me. Random dick sucking…fine, fucking someone you like…bad bad bad.”

“Right because you and Jared that’s working out so brilliantly.”

“Matt, fuck you. We’re going through and off again stage.”

“So what about you Zoë? Any professional events on the horizon.” Justin would even listen to her talk about her fucking sculptures and annoying studio mate if it meant not having to listen to more bullshit about Jared.

“Actually someone bought ‘tall 720’”

“Really? That rocks.”  
  
”I know…I might actually be able to pay rent AND eat this month.”

“Well here’s to eating.” Justin raised his latte in toast.

“Speaking of which…” Matt said. What the fuck have you been eating? You’ve dropped like ten pounds.

Justin shrugged. “The show’s coming up fast. I’ve got three companies throwing some freelance work my way. Mostly it’s cold pizza if I remember to eat.”

“Christ. Wish I had your discipline…and your connections.”

“Yeah because tipping the scales at 145 makes you such a fucking fat ass.”

Matt glared at him and then threw the wadded up napkin in his face. “Your connections WOULD be useful though.”

“Um, I don’t have connections.”

“You’re telling me…um, what do you call him now, sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester has nothing to do with the graphics work thrown your way.”

“Not that I know of. And if I knew of it I’d kick his ass.”

“More reason for him not to tell you.” Zoë wiggled her eyebrows trying to communicate some sort of intrigue.

“He’d tell me. Trust me, he has NO issues with telling me when he’s providing stuff.”

“If you say so.”

“So, what did Jared say when you told him to fuck off if he wasn’t gonna support your work?”

Matt looked at Justin with a knowing smirk. If he’d changed the subject BACK to Zoë and Jared, they’d hit a nerve.

Justin listened a little longer. Made some excuses about work to be done and headed back to his apartment. The phone rang on the way back. It was almost three am. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Shouldn’t you?”

“Just got the little half-breed-in-law home safely.”

“Fuck. Brian, again?”

“Justin he’s actually handy. Did I tell you he fixed my computer?”

“Yeah.”

“And he’s staying out of trouble in school. So he deserves a little fun.”

“Very little.”

“That’s what I’m doing there.”

“You’re not his fucking babysitter.”

“Don’t worry, he has a good time. And I’m not babysitting the WHOLE time.”

“Anyone interesting?”

“No one worth mentioning. No one as good as you.”

“You’d say anything not to hear me bitch about the half-breed.”

“But I still wouldn’t lie.”

“Hey.”  


“What?”  


“Do you recommend me to graphics places?”

“Depends on what they want.”

“So you do.”

“If they’re looking for your kind of work. If I think you can give them what they need.”

“Do you recommend anyone else?”

“Not freelancers. Usually graphics houses, but some of my lower end clients, the ones with a budget and an edge…they get your card.”

“I have a card?”

“Um… yeah?”

“You had cards made up?”

“Did I forget to tell you that?”

“I think you might have.”

“Whoops.”

“Brian.”

“This isn’t worth yelling about.”

“It is to me.”

“It looked unprofessional to just write the name down on a slip of paper.”

“You’ll let me know before you have me incorporated right?”

“Absolutely, you’d want to name your own corporation…. You named mine.”

“How’s Babylon coming?”

“It’s not even breathing hard.”

“What now?”

“The bathroom set up you had. Plumbing nightmare.”

“Send me the schematics, I’ll fix it.”

“Already sent. But I can get Paul to rearrange something.”

“Paul is a fuckwit looking to do it cheap and easy. You want style or cheap and easy?”

“Depends on my mood.”

“Well, if you want cheap and easy, do Paul.”

“You’ve always had style… even when you dressed like a fucking ad for old navy queer.”

“Yeah, well, If I recall, you couldn’t get those cargo pants off me fast enough.”

“That’s cause they were so fucking ugly.”

“Got the job done.”

“What are you wearing now?”

“Very little. I was just gonna pull on one of your old shirts to paint.”

“Have I ever told you how much I hate that you use my Armani as a smock?”

“You were throwing it out.”

“I was giving it a dignified end to a long fruitful life.”

“I like it. It still smells like you.”

“Bullshit, it smells like paint. Everything in that place smells like paint.”

“Um, Brian. I’m kind of a painter.”

“More than kind of.”

“So what are you wearing?”

“Nothing at the moment.”

“Wow, we match.”

“We always did end up on the same page when we were in bed.”

“You should go to sleep, what time does your plane leave tomorrow?”

“Not 'til ten. I’ll be at Mel and Lindsay’s in time to have lunch with Gus.”

“You’re touching yourself.”

“Your voice does that to me.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Your being away does that to me.”

“Bullshit, you’re just as drunk when I’m home.”

“Oh right, sorry, alcohol does that to me.”

Justin laughed. “What are you thinking about?”

“You. Being buried deep in your ass. Those little sounds you make when you try not to let me know you’re about to come. When you think I’m gonna stop you.”

Justin was stroking himself and thinking about the times that Brian drove him to the edge only to continually pull him back. He was making those sounds now. And heard Brian grunt.

“Those sounds?” he breathed.

“Christ you’re hot.”

“So are you. I wish you were buried inside me now. I want you. I want to be on my knees, my head pushed into the mattress and you fucking me like you can’t get enough.”

“I can’t”

“I want you inside me.”

“I am. I am, do you feel me there.”

“Oh god Brian I do.”

“So hot, so tight. Just you and me and some tangled sheets.”

“So close Brian.”

“Do it, I want to hear you come.”

Justin increased the speed and pressure and he heard Brian’s breathing change. They both came almost simultaneously.”

There was nothing for a few moments but the heavy breathing on both ends of the phone.

“I really do have to get back to work.”

“And I haven’t packed yet.”

“Call me from Toronto, I’d like to talk to Gus, if he remembers me.”

“He does…well, I think he does. Let’s hope he remembers me.”

“Love you.”

“You too.”

Justin hung up and used the paint stained Armani to clean himself off. He grabbed another one. He had several, and began working. He tried not to be too angry with Brian about the business card thing but if he was gonna be a freelance graphic designer. Shouldn’t he get to design his own cards?

The sun was up by the time he crawled into bed too exhausted to be angry.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian rented a car at the airport. He really wasn’t in any mood to be at the mercy of Mel and Lindsay for transportation and he wanted some alone time with Gus…if the kid remembered who he was. It had been months since he’d seen them.

Their house was nice. So damn similar to their old one that you almost didn’t notice you were in fucking Canada. He opened the gate, his bag slung over his shoulder and realized he needn’t have worried. Gus hurled himself at him full speed.

“DADDY!”

Brian picked him up…he’d gotten bigger. “Hey sonny-boy”

“Hi! Did you bring me sumpin?”

“Maybe.” 

Gus pouted and Brian nodded. “I knew you would.”

“Who else is gonna spoil you like daddy?”

Gus almost choked him hugging his neck and Brian saw Mel and Lindsay watching the scene from the doorway. He nodded to them both and carried Gus inside.

Lindsay kissed Brian on the cheek. Melanie even smiled a little. “Good to see you Brian, you look great.”

“Don’t I always?”

Lindsay just kissed him again. “Gus missed you.” 

Brian said nothing. Wasn’t his fucking decision to move the kid to Toronto. Don’t fucking pour the guilt on now. “That’s why I’m here.”

“You should have brought Justin.”

“He’s busy in new York.”

“That’s good right?”

“Where’s Jussin daddy?”

Brian put Gus down and pulled a wrapped box out of his bag. “Justin sent you this.”

Gus seemed to forget about asking for him for the moment. “Brian, really…”

Brian shut Lindsay up with a glance. “He’s my son, he gets a present. And it really is from Justin.”

Gus loved it; Brian had no idea what it was. Justin had picked it out online and sent Brian the link. It was green, and purple, and had some sort of truck theme, but there were crayons attached so that when you drove it over paper it made designs. He shook his head. How the fuck did Justin do that. Gus was enamored of his new present and moved himself to a spot on the floor with more room.

“So what’s new?”

Brian leaned back and took the beer Lindsay offered. “Nothing. Everything. Babylon’s reopening on New Years Eve… love for you to be there. Both of you.”

“I hope we can make it. But with Gus and Jenny.”

“I know, two kids, lots of logistics, just think about it. Kind of a fuck you to the assholes who tried to destroy it.”

“They weren’t trying to destroy your club asshole. They were…”

Brian looked at Melanie. She stopped mid sentence. “I know what they were trying to do. I’m taking a small step not running for fucking president. Oh wait, prime minister or whatever the fuck you have up here in cowardville.”

Melanie looked like she was going to launch at him but Lindsay held her back with a hand. “Both of you. Be civil for a single weekend or I’m taking Gus and JR and locking the two of you in here, and before you ask…no I don’t care which one, if either of you survive.”

Brian was surprised. Lindsay was never that forceful about breaking up the sniping between them.

Lindsay sat on the sofa next to Brian and Melanie conveniently heard JR crying and went to her.

“What the fuck was that.”

“Brian. Language.”

“Well, what the…heck was that?”

“That was me having seen enough violence and enough of the two of you at each others throats. Eleven goddamned years Brian…get used to her. She’s staying.”

“Does she get the same speech?”

“Not that it’s any of your business but yes. You’re Gus’ father. You're one of my best friends. And she’s my wife. So the two of you just… neutral fucking corners for the weekend. Okay?”

“Lindsay language.”

“Fuck off Brian.”

“Fuck off daddy.”

They both looked at Gus and started laughing. Unable to stop. They knew they should scold him. Or at least not reward the behavior but it was just too fucking much.

The rest of the weekend went by without incident. Melanie kept her temper in check. Brian allowed himself to be amused by Gus rather than dwelling on how much he missed him. And they did get in a call to Justin. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Aaron was glad he wasn’t on the wrestling team anymore. He wasn’t happy about the reason. There were still kids in school who were intent on proving what a faggot he was. And still a bunch of assholes who were sure that hurting him would prove they weren’t faggots. He managed to duck out of school unharmed most days.

Today wasn’t too bad. A couple of nasty names, a few “unintentional” bumps in the hallway and Jon Callahan had jerked him off in the bathroom so the scales were tipped on the plus side…until he walked out after the last bell and saw Craig.

He turned. Trying to ignore him and head home without having to speak to him. Craig wasn’t buying it. He took a couple of long strides and was at his side. “Aaron.”

“Fuck off dad.”

“Aaron we need to talk.”

“No we don’t.”

“Aaron… this has to stop.”

“What does?”

Aaron turned and faced him. They were by the flagpole in the quad, and Aaron wondered what his father was going to say with so much activity and so many students, teachers, and parents in the vicinity.

Craig seemed to become aware of their surroundings once Aaron stopped. “Get in the car.”

“Pfft. Not fucking likely”

“Aaron. Don’t talk to me like that. I’m your father.”

“You know, after seeing how you treat your other son…that doesn’t make me feel better about getting in a car with you.”

Craig's temper was flaring. The vein on his forehead was becoming pronounced. Aaron wondered if he’d lose it and hit him right here, in front of the school. He almost hoped he would…

Yeah things would be a little tougher for him at school, but they’d be a LOT tougher for Craig. Zero tolerance on violence policy and all that.

Craig turned and walked back into his car but as Aaron headed home he realized Craig was following him.

He took the back way but Craig was in front of the house when he came around towards the back door.

He hoped his father didn’t see him as he sprinted to the nearest bus station and caught the first one. He didn’t think about where he was going until he was there.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

It was after three and he needed to be back at the office by four but this fucking inspector was taking forever. If he took much longer he’d have to either have Ted cover for him at the meeting or haul his ass over here. He was debating options when Aaron came barreling into the construction site and almost tripped over an extension cord.

“Graceful.”

“Fuck you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing.”

“Mmm hmmm.”

“My dad was waiting for me at school today.”

Every muscle in Brian’s body tensed. Fucking Craig. “You okay?” He tried to remain casual.

“Yeah, fucker thinks I’m gonna get in a car with _him_?”

“Probably just wanted to talk.”

“I’ve seen him talk. Not interested in _’talking’_ to him thanks.

“I’ve gotta make a phone call. Don’t move.”

“Ted. Cover for me at the meeting I’m stuck at Babylon.”

He hung up the phone. “Okay, so go to the loft and don’t…”

Craig did trip on the extension cord that Aaron so narrowly missed. He fell and both Aaron and Brian did their best not to laugh at the man. Brian did a better job of hiding his amusement, but just barely.

“Hi Craig.”

“I knew somehow you were mixed up in all this.”

Brian looked at him coldly. “All what exactly?”

Craig waved his hand in Aaron’s general direction and then indicated the club in general, which was actually starting to look like a place someone might want to buy a drink.

“My name is on all the permits, which is a matter of public record asshole, it’s not some large conspiracy.” Brian purposely left the Aaron issue out of it for the moment.

“Why is he here?”  


“I was just asking him the same question. Seems some creepy old man with no rights tried to lure him into a car. He came where he felt safe.”

“Safe, with you? I somehow doubt it.”

“I’m sorry. Which one of us is known for hitting their kids cause they’re gay. Hmmm…right…not fucking me asshole. Now get out. This is my place of business and you’re trespassing.”

Aaron took a step forward to say something and Brian held out his arm stopping him. “Aaron will be home, with his mother in time for dinner.”

Craig obviously wanted to say more but apparently had not completely lost his mind or his memory of just how much a punch in the jaw and extensive reparative dental work hurt. He walked away.

“My mom’s not home 'til midnight tonight. It’s Monday.”

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and indicated a chair. “Sit there, don’t touch anything and once I’m done with this permit guy, I’ll buy you a pizza.”

“Can we go out tonight?”

Brian ignored the question and debated calling Justin. He decided he’d call him later. Once he’d had a chance to calm down and he’d figured out what he was gonna do. Anything before that would just be disturbing his work for no reason.

He smiled and shmoozed the permit guy. Shook his hand, took the citation that they always fucking wrote for something and saw him out.

Aaron was not where he’d left him. He was currently doing his best to catch the attention of one of the carpenters. Brian took a longer look. Tall, lean, hot, young. Aaron had good taste. He went to retrieve him anyway.

“What the fuck, I’m just working the flirting thing.”

“Not on my dime, those guys are working.”

“But we know him.”

“We do?”

“He’s the guy who was with Emmett. I think they’re still together.”

As if summoned by the mere thought of him Emmett arrived and practically skipped over to the man/boy. He kissed him and then kissed him again and Brian laughed. Apparently Emmett’s chicken was a somewhat long-term thing. This would make it at least a month, a possible record for Emmett recently.

Emmett turned his attention to Brian and let the guy…Gordon, get back to work.

“Brian the place is looking positively elegant.”

Brian looked up at the exposed electrical work and ductwork. He looked down at the concrete floors covered in sawdust and then looked around at the crew of admittedly pretty buff guys creating the mess. He smiled. “Yeah, it’s shaping up, what are you doing here?”

“Came to see the space so I could get a better idea about the event.”

“We’re no where near that stage yet. But if it’s an excuse for you to see your pretty little boy, hey, it’s not a bad one.”

“You’re going to talk to me about pretty little boys. He’s 20.”

“And you’re not.”

“I forgot. You _did_ finally settle down with a man your own age. Does Justin know about him?”

“Fuck you.”

“Nope, I’ve got mine over there.” Brian actually laughed. Emmett had his purposes…speaking of which… “What are you two doing for dinner?”

“Us two?” Emmett looked wary.

“You and Gordon was it?”

“No idea, probably something fabulous.”

“Well how bout we ignore fabulous and you meet us at the diner at six.”

“Us? Is Justin in town?”

“No but half-breed here is gonna be with me for a couple of hours.”

Emmett turned his attention to Aaron. “Well isn’t he just a cutie and a half.”

“And a two handfuls…and not in a good way.”

“You’re pawning him off on me?”

“No I figured you and I could discus the event… and they could talk about a fucking Disney movie or something.”

Emmett gave a large and relatively over bright grin for the occasion. “I have so many ideas Brian you’re going to love them.”

“Doubt it.”

“Okay you’re going to shoot them down as too queer for words but you’ll give in eventually.”

“More likely.”

“See you at the diner at six.”

“Leave now Honeycutt he can’t work while he’s staring at your ass.”

“Don’t call me Honeycutt, and he does some of his best work staring at my ass.”

Brian bit back a laugh. He really shouldn’t encourage Emmett. “Take him with you.” he gestured toward Aaron.

“Can’t. Meeting. Have fun kiddies.”

Brian cursed him as he flitted his way out the door and glanced at Aaron. Great…what the fuck did he do with the half-breed for two and half hours?”  


He motioned for Aaron not to follow him and found Paul. They compared notes, checked a few things and once he was sure that everything was in good hands he pulled Aaron away from Gordon, who looked more amused than anything, and dragged him out of the building.

“Why are you always dragging me around?"

“Because you’re never where you’re supposed to be.”

“Where exactly am I supposed to be?”

“At home.”

“He followed me there. That’s when I took off.”

“Well, he’s gone now. C’mon… you did something weird to my computer… now you’re gonna fix it.”

“I didn’t do anything weird to it. I defragged it, and ran some sorely needed maintenance.”

“Yeah well it’s doing something weird now.”

“What?”  


They were in the ‘vette and heading towards the loft. “It turns off if I walk away from it.”

Aaron started to laugh. “No it doesn’t”

“Yes it does. You made my computer a petulant twink.”

Aaron was laughing harder now. “Is that what happens when you walk away from Justin? He turns off?”

Brian glared at him. “Fix it.”

He was pushing Aaron out of the elevator and into the loft now. 

Aaron booted up the machine. “See, I set standby to fifteen minutes.”

“So if I don’t touch it for fifteen minutes it shuts down.”

“But if you click the keyboard, or move the mouse it’s back.”

“Well how the fuck was I supposed to know that?”

“Just a thought, move the mouse.”

“Bite me, get rid of the standby thing, we don’t all have the attention span of a chipmunk raised on fifteen second ad spots. Sometimes I need to stare at it.”

“You stare at your computer?”

“Fix. It.”  
  
Aaron clicked a few mouse buttons. “It’s fixed. But if the machine’s idle for more than two hours the monitor will go into power saver. It’s just stupid not to.”

“Whatever.”

Aaron got up and pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge. He handed one to Brian who raised an eyebrow at him but decided to say nothing. A beer. Really not the end of the world considering how many tequila shooters he’d plied him with over the past few weeks.

Brian lit a cigarette and Aaron took out his own and lit one. “I’m bored.”

“You’re always bored.”

“You don’t have any cool games on your computer. You need an X box.”

“I’ll ask Santa for one at Christmas.”

“Seriously this place is boring.”

“It’s not meant for children.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Then amuse yourself… and wipe up when you’re done.”

“You’re gross. You know that right?”

Brian glowered and Aaron logged online to find something to amuse himself. He heard Brian start talking and looked up but realized he was on the phone. Justin.

“Hey, how’d it go today?”

“Fine, how’s Gus?”

“Same as yesterday when I called you and told you all about the trip.”

“You did?”

“You were pretty fucking tweaked.”

“I don’t know where Matt gets his shit but it’s good.”

“How was Matt?”

“What?”

“How was Matt?”

“Don’t know he went home with some ugly guy. Red hair…gross.”

“You never did like the redheads.”

“Nope always went for the tall dark and annoying.”

“You’ve got a weakness for annoying men.” Just then Aaron called to Brian to come look at something.

“Speaking of annoying men.” Justin said.

“Yeah, he’s here. Long story.”

“Brian.”

“Craig's on a bit of a mission to get the kid alone to talk to him. May have to talk to Carl or a lawyer.”

“Fuck.”

“It’s okay. And the last I heard your court date isn’t until December now.”

“They keep pushing it back.”

“Well one less thing to worry about while you’re getting ready for the show.”

“So how is Gus?”

“Christ, what _do_ you remember from last night?”

“Not much. Kicking four guys out of my bed this morning, hoping to god we used condoms.”

“Justin.” Brian’s tone was warning.

“I’m fucking with you…not four guys, and not when I’m too tweaked to know what I’m doing. Christ. You really don’t trust me.”

“I trust you. I’m not crazy about Matt.”  


“You’ve never met him, he’s harmless. How is Gus?”

Brian recounted the weekend to Justin, grinning like an idiot while talking about Gus and some of the cute things he did or said. 

“How’s JR?”

“Sadly, looking more like a cross between Mel and Michael every day.”

“Well, you know, maybe she’ll get Mel’s brains and Michaels nose.”

“Be nice.”

“Sorry.”  
  
”So I’m meeting Emmett and his new boy toy at the diner for dinner.”

“With Aaron?”

“Monday night… mom’s not home 'til midnight and dad’s on a rampage.”

“Don’t take him out.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s gonna get used to you buying him drinks and that’s my job.”

“It’s your job to buy him drinks?”

“It’s your job to buy ME drinks.”

“I thought you wanted to be financially independent.”

“Right, while you’re throwing business at me and probably set up the whole art show too. The day I’m independent from you the world tilts on it’s axis.”

“Justin.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Fine. Think that. You can do the work. You need the money. I give them your card. I have nothing to do with your upcoming show.”

“Whatever.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“You don’t lie so I have to.”

“Right.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop it. But what the fuck?”

“Can we talk about it later.”

“Count on it.”

“I’m gonna go back to what I was working on.”

“I’m going to go find out what the half-breed-in-law wants me to buy him.”

“You’re too soft a touch.”

“I didn’t say I was gonna buy it.”

“But you are.”

“Really depends on what it is.”

“Later?”

“Later.”

Brian put his phone on the charger and changed out of his suite and into jeans and a sweater. He grabbed one of the chairs from the dining area and moved it to the computer desk. “What do you want me to buy now?”

He looked and Aaron had managed to load his amazon.com shopping cart full of video games and an X box.

“No.”

“C’mon. It’ll be fun.”

“I don’t have time to literally sit around and play games.”

“But if you had it here, then when I was here I wouldn’t bug you or use your computer or anything.”

Brian said nothing. He hit the speedy check out button and chose rush delivery. Aaron was smiling what some might call a close proximity of a sunshine smile. And Brian realized that the kid was actually not so bad.


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Seventeen**  


* * *

Justin was chewing on the end of his paintbrush and staring intently at the canvas. Something was missing. He cocked his head to the right, and then the left. And finally realized what it was. He was mixing paint, trying to find the right shade when the phone rang. He hit the button on the headset. He’d been expecting the call.

Brian ignored the chit-chat part of the hello and cut to the chase. “Well?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes really. I can get away on Thursday afternoon. Should be in by nine Thursday night.”

“You book the flight already?”

“Emailed Cyn, she’s sending me the confirmation information. You’ll get it too.”

“Cyn knows?”

“No one else has to…but you know everyone’s gonna find out, they always do.”

“Not this time.”

“This is why I said you should come here.”

“Can’t. The stuff at Babylon needs overseeing or Paul’s gonna go cheap and easy.”

“If you’re gonna be busy I can stay here.”

“Fuck that. It’s been almost a month.”

“I know. But we’ve gone longer.”

“Not planning on letting that be a habit.”

“Brian what the fuck is your problem?”  


Brian didn’t say anything. His problem was that Justin was unable to have a civil conversation with him lately and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. “Don’t have one. What the fuck are you so upset about?”

Brian could hear his deep breath in the background, as if he were gathering his strength and patience to deal with the simple question. “I’m not upset. I miss you.”  
  
“Well I’ll see you in three days.”  
  
“I can’t wait.”  
  
“So the freelance work’s all been Okayed and put to bed?”

“Yeah, I have one minor change to make to the HikeNow account, but they’ve already pretty much approved it.”

“Good.”

“Why do you send me the loser accounts?”

“Last week you were pissed at me for sending you any accounts.”

“Not pissed, surprised.”

“You’re surprise sound’s a lot like exasperation.”

“I guess the subtle nuances get lost on the phone.”

“Must be it.”

“So I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Call me tomorrow.”

“Once I’m done with the gallery assholes. They’re bitching that the music is too loud on the video piece.”

“Turn it down.”

Justin laughed. “If I turn it down it will lose its effect.”

“And they own the gallery. Who’s gonna win?”

“Grrr, I’ll figure something out…maybe we can move the piece further back.”

“So you’d rather fewer people see it?”

“Can I have _this_ argument with them and not you?”

“This is an argument?”

“No. Yes. I don’t fucking know.”

“When you figure it out let me know… if it was an argument you owe me makeup sex.”

__

__

__

“If it was an argument, who says we’re done?”

“Aren’t we?”

Justin sighed heavily. “Yes. We’re done. And you don’t have to use make up sex as a ploy to fuck me. As a matter of fact, if you weren’t already planning on fucking me, we have way more wrong than you think.”

“Trust me, I plan on fucking you. And who says I think there’s something wrong?”

“You don’t?”

“No. I do. I just never said that.”

“Brian. Your silences are deafeningly communicative sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“What can I say, we speak each others unspoken language, fluently.”

“Oh Christ I never should have let you see that movie.”

“You wanted to convince me John Cusack was hot once.”

“He still is.”

“If you’re old.”

“Easy now.”

“Sorry, forgot, age thing, touchy.”

“You’re a twat. You know that?”

“If I forgot you’d remind me.”

“It’s my job.”

“Speaking of twat’s…”

“Ewww, we were?”

“Aaron.”

“Aaron?”  


“What’s up with him?”  


“Nothing.” Justin could hear Brian exhale cigarette smoke. 

“Is he there?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Was he there?”

“For a couple hours. He’s addicted to some new game.”

“Brian.”

“Don’t start. I gave him a job.”

“You what?”

“He’s the gofer for the construction guys at Babylon.”

“Why?”

“He was always there. He was always underfoot. This way they can get a cup of coffee and get him away from the power tools.”

“You’re letting him play you.”

“He’s working. Then I buy him a pizza or whatever. He’s home at a reasonable hour.”

“What does Alicia think of all this?”

“She seems okay with it.”

“She knows it’s just the two of you?”

“No, I pretend you’re still at the loft waiting.”

“And she’s okay that it’s just Aaron and the sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester.”

“I think she’d figured out which parts of that moniker are true.”

“Have you?”

“Well, I’d say only the club freak, and it’s probably aging club freak these days, or more accurately ex club freak. But I’ll also bet my new Dolce jeans that you think the sugar daddy part is accurate.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Circular argument alert.”

“You’re right.”

“So I’ll pick you up Thursday?”

“I can’t wait.”

“Do me a favor, try and find a little more enthusiasm between now and Thursday.”

“I’m sorry, I really can’t wait. I need to get the fuck away. I’m thinking we go to the loft. We lock the doors. We turn off the phones and on Sunday… we slip me back on the plane like I was never there.”

Brian laughed, “I think the stealth mission is a go. But I can’t promise complete privacy, you know this never works.”

“Let’s pretend. Just for today, this time it’s going to.”

“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“I’ll call after the gallery meeting.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Brian hung up and poured himself a glass of beam. He downed it and decided, fuck the glass. He sprawled on the sofa and considered his last few conversations with Justin. Something was up. He had a feeling it was nothing major. But he also had a feeling Justin thought it was. 

Yeah, they’d be locking the doors and turning off the phones… but if he thought they were gonna avoid this any longer…well; Justin forgot how much of a evil overlord Brian could be when he wanted something.

He moved over to the computer, which really did run faster since Aaron had been tweaking things here and there. He searched for a few things. Plans were always handy, even if you weren’t sure what you were dealing with yet.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Jordan and Zoë were in an on again phase. They were making out on the futon. Justin and Matt and Lee were trying to ignore them until they were all sufficiently stoned. It wasn’t working and Justin wondered if this was why everyone was always trying to pry Brian away from him or vice versa in public. Then he shrugged. He didn’t care. Brian was the one who usually started the public displays of affection anyway. And hell, they usually became private displays of affection later…or not so private if they were anywhere near an alley, or a backroom, or a bathroom, or a dark corner, or… 

“Justin!”

“What?”

“Door.”

“Oh right, sorry, was thinking.”

“He took another quick hit from the bong and handed it off to Lee. He stepped over Matt’s legs to answer. It was three in the afternoon. He hadn’t slept yet, but he had every intention of working for a little while after everyone left and getting some work done before he crashed. He had to pack. He was leaving tomorrow.

He checked the peephole. It was a FedEx guy. He wasn’t expecting any deliveries. His neighbor was probably out and the guy just wanted a signature. He opened the door.

“Taylor residence?”

“Um, yeah.”

“I need you to sign here.”

“What is it?”

“A package.”

Justin rolled his eyes. He was a little more baked then he thought. How the hell would this guy know what was in the fucking box. He signed and took the small box. He was about to close the door when the delivery guy pulled a hand truck forward and then emptied the rest of the boxes into the corner. “Have a nice day.”

Justin was too confused and way too stoned to reply. He closed the door behind him. All of his friends were staring at him. 

“Waddja get?”

Justin shrugged. “No clue. I didn’t order anything.”

He looked at the return address; it was from some place in California, that was no help. He grabbed a knife and started to open one of the boxes. Soon there were packing peanuts all over the floor, a large amount of digital equipment in a pile in the corner and one pissed off twink with steam practically coming out of his ears.

“Goddamned stupid self important motherfucker.”

“Present from your boyfriend?”

Justin glared at Matt who smirked. He had no idea why Justin always seemed so aggravated when the guy he purported to be in love with gave him anything but he was. He’d complained about the phone for two days when he had come home with it. He’d bitched about the confrontation regarding the graphics clients. And the web cam, DVD burner and editing equipment that most artists paid hundreds to rent by the hour seemed to make Justin angry rather than grateful. 

Sensing a meltdown he ushered Lee, Zoë and Jordan out of the apartment and locked the door behind them. He sat on the futon and wondered if Justin was going to kick him out too. 

Justin didn’t seem aware of his presence. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m going to have to kill him.”

“You said he was taller than you, can you take him?”

“Not gonna fight him. Gonna kill him.”

“For buying you really nice shit. Um, when did that become a federal offense?”

“Can’t explain it.”

“Wanna try?”

“No. let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Out. Can’t be in here with this stuff.”

Matt shrugged and Justin disappeared into his room. he came back a few minutes later dressed to kill… but not in the same way he wanted to kill that Brian guy… or maybe in exactly the way he planned to kill that Brian guy. Matt wasn’t sure.

“Can I borrow a shirt, you’re showing me up here.”

Justin nodded and jerked his head towards the bedroom. Matt threw a vial to him on his way towards Justin’s closet. “this might help you relax…or wind you up…not sure.”

Justin emptied some on the side of his hand and inhaled. he felt better almost immediately. Not less angry, just…better.

They went out, they danced. Matt watched as Justin pulled some guy into the back room. he was on a fucking mission tonight.

In the time he’d known Justin, and it had been almost six months now, he’d gotten bits and pieces of information about the twisted thing he had going on back in Pittsburgh with some older guy. Justin swore it was love. And the guy sure seemed to show his affection, if the perpetual phone calls, lavish gifts, and serious bite marks he showered Justin with were any indication. But lately Justin was pulling away, or something. He didn’t pretend to know everything.

They weren’t monogamous, he knew that. They didn’t sneak around, had some basic ground rules. Were always safe. But Matt really never got a clear image of what the fuck they were to each other, except that Justin never seemed to stop sketching him when he was “just doodling” and never seemed to be able to keep the smile off his face when he called. 

Matt had caught an actual look at him once. He was leaving Justin’s as Matt was heading towards the coffee shop. At that point Matt would have recognized him anywhere, he’d seen enough drawings of him, but the fact that Justin was standing barefoot and bare-chested on the street, a pair of sweatpants that were way too big for him barely clinging to his hips and bed head that screamed just got laid made it pretty clear who he was. If that weren’t enough, the fact that as he got into a cab they sort of did this thing with their arms, sliding away from each other as if neither really wanted to break contact until absolutely necessary. 

The cab had pulled away and he was going to ask Justin to grab a shirt and meet him for coffee but the look on Justin's face as he stared at the cab made him rethink the offer. He stood for another minute and watched Justin become…well, the Justin he knew again. He seemed to straighten his shoulders, and lose the slightly melty look he’d had. Finally he walked back into his building and Matt walked past it to get himself a cup of coffee. 

He’d tried for days to write the scene. To write something that hit on what he’d seen. Nothing he’d ever show to Justin. He never got it right and eventually just gave up.

Whatever these two had, it was palpable from ten feet away. It must feel like standing in the middle of an electrical storm if you’re actually involved. It was volatile, and Matt was not jealous.

He’d had something chemically amazing once in college. And those things rip you to shreds. He was looking for something different now. And contrary to what Zoë thought… it wasn’t Justin. He liked Justin. They had a lot in common. They both hated most people. Knew everyone was stupid, and most of the time knew that all the other people clamoring for attention to their art were hacks. They had a creative connection, not a sexual one.

Justin was dancing with him again, reaching into his pocket. Matt looked at him questioningly, Justin was already pretty drunk and the crank was making his eyes shine. 

“E” Justin almost yelled.

Matt laughed and gave him half a tab. Justin swatted at his head while they danced. “Adult dosage please.”

Matt shrugged and gave him the other half. Justin chewed and swallowed and handed Matt a twenty. Water and beer…for the both of us.

Matt nodded while Justin kept moving to the music.

He disappeared with some smooth bodybuilder type and came back smiling broadly… 

He was leaning close to Matt yelling over the music “I love butch bottoms.”

Matt laughed again. At around eleven he headed home. He was tired, had work to do. And had a shift at the bookstore tomorrow. Justin didn’t feel like going home yet. “You got cab fare?”

Justin smiled and nodded and kept dancing. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin woke up with his head pounding. He looked around and couldn’t quite figure out where he was. Then he couldn’t at all figure out where he was. He looked over to his left and realized he was in someone else’s bed. In someone else’s fucking apartment. Shit.

He grabbed his jeans and his shirt. Found his shoes. Checked his pocket for his wallet keys and phone. All there. 

The clock beside the bed said it was almost noon.

Dammit, he hadn’t packed yet and he didn’t even know which side of the city he was on.

He slid out the door quietly and was outside before he could breathe easily. Thank fucking god…no morning after Smalltalk. He checked his wallet for cash. They were either close to the club or the trick had paid for the cab. But if he was the one sneaking out in the morning…maybe he was the trick, or were they both tricks. He wasn’t sure, but this couldn’t go on.

He found a Starbucks and bought a straight shot of caffeine. Found the nearest subway station and got his bearings. 

Once he was finally home, he sat down on the futon and called Brian. 

“Hey Sunshine.”

“We need to talk.”

“I tried to talk to you last night.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, you were a little too giggly, and a little too occupied, to be coherent.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

“Was he any good.”

“Would I have been with him if he wasn’t?” Justin decided now was not the time to tell Brian he couldn’t remember. To tell Brian he’d broken a major rule of his own by going back to his place instead of his own. He’d tell him all that when he got there. 

“You still want me to come there?”  
  


“Why wouldn’t I?”

“No reason just making sure nothing came up with Babylon.”

“It’s all good… get your perfect ass on the plane, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Okay.”

“Justin.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve got a couple people waiting to see me. I know something’s up. I’m not ignoring you.”

“I know.”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian spent the rest of the day distracted. Even Aaron’s usually annoying presence didn’t faze him. Justin wanted to talk. Justin was too tweaked last night to be coherent. Justin didn’t usually answer the fucking phone when he was in the middle of getting a blowjob… but he did last night. Could be a lot of reasons for that.

He could have thought it was hot. And it would have been if Brian had been sure that Justin knew what he was doing…but he wasn’t so sure last night.

Could have been a “fuck you” but for what? they’d gotten over the tricking thing so long ago it was a non-issue.

Could have just been to tweaked to notice who it was, or what was going on…which brought him back to the original reason he’d been so fucking adamant about this visit. Something was up and this had to be fucking dealt with.

He killed some time with Aaron at the diner, letting Deb overfeed the kid and pinch his cheeks and he said nothing to anyone about Justin’s imminent arrival.

He got Aaron home, made a little small talk with Alicia and then headed to the airport.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

once Justin had showered he went down to the coffee shop with his sketchbook. Matt was there. 

“Hey, where’d you go last night?”

“Home, I said goodbye.”

“I was flying pretty high by then.”

“You okay?”

“What? yeah. Good times. Guy was hot.”

“Which one?”

“The one I went home with…I don’t remember the guy who blew me.”

“Which one?”

“Fuck I was wasted…that was good shit.”

“Only the best.”

“I owe you money for that.”

“You bought the drinks.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that.”

“So you leaving soon?”

“Plane leaves at seven. You get lucky last night?”

“No time, inventory at the book store from five am to noon.”

“Ick.”

“I know but hey, it pays the rent, we can’t all have…”

“Say it and I’ll kill you.”

“You two okay?”

“Yeah. It’s not us. Not every fucking thing in my life revolves around Brian fucking Kinney.”

“Um, I know?”

“Sorry, you have no idea. He’s like…the center of this entire world there. And sometimes it’s just exhausting.”

“So bring him here…to your world.”

“New York is not exactly MY world.”

“It’s more yours than his.”

“he’d manage to make it his in, you’ll pardon the expression, a New York minute.”

“Christ what is he a superhero?”

“Actually yes. He’s a gay superhero.”

“Like Rage?”

“Fuck you… you know… oh wait, you don’t… he IS Rage.”

“Wat?”

“Um, hi, you know how I’m the guy who draws Rage.”

“That I knew…on account of your name being on the damn things, Lee being addicted to them, and you look an awful lot like JT.”

“Yeah well… guess who looks an awful lot like Rage.”

“But the guy you draw…” Matt picked up Justin’s sketch book and flipped through a few pages confidently, there had to be at least one…he found it and held it up. “that’s not Rage.”

“No, that’s Brian, he wanted his chin built up.”

“What’s wrong with his chin?”

Justin shrugged. “Nothing, he’s an asshole like that but yeah, he’s Rage.”

“I can’t believe I never put that together.”

“Well, it seems obvious to most people, but then most people I know have much worse names for Brian than Rage.”

“Like sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester”

“That’s actually kind compared to the other things he gets called.”

“By whom?”

Justin smiled “Everyone who’s ever met him.”

“Except you.”

“Especially me.”

“but…”

“He’s an asshole. But he’s my asshole.”

“Your relationship is twisted.”

“You’re not the first to make that observation.”

“And you’re okay with this?”

“Except for the thing where he keeps throwing money at me, yeah, I’m fine.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Doesn’t have to. I don’t want him to do it. He’s going to stop.”

“That’s what last night was about? He bought you stuff.”

“Last night was about a lot of things.”

“Taylor, I have to go, but word of advice. Sleep. Go back to Pittsburgh, fuck him, let him fuck you whatever. Be twisted and happy, but while you’re there, eat something and get some fucking sleep. You know you’re beautiful but you look like hammered dogshit.”

Justin smiled. “Sleep sounds good. I’ll start on the plane.”

“Good.”

“See you Monday?”

“If you make it back by then.”

Justin looked at him confused and then just smiled “I don’t think he’s gonna hold me captive.”

“Okay. Freak.”

Justin finished his coffee and sketched the young guy playing a guitar in front of an old record store. Eventually he went back up to his apartment, grabbed a bag and took the two trains, one bus and the shuttle to the airport. 

He was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. He fidgeted the whole flight and when he finally got off the plane he felt like his carryon weighed a ton. He was moving slowly and waited 'til others got off so he wouldn’t hold them up.

He stepped out into the relative brightness of the fluorescent-lit terminal and smiled when he saw Brian.

Brian wasn’t smiling. Justin looked like hell. He walked towards him and took his bag off his shoulder. Then he held out his arms and Justin seemed to melt into him. “Christ I missed you.”

“Me too.”

“The loft okay. Can we just go straight to the loft?”

“You thought I had other plans?”

Justin didn’t answer and Brian felt him leaning against him as if for support as he walked them to the car.

Justin slid in and lit a cigarette before Brian even started the car. 

“You look like hell Sunshine.”

“The loft Brian. I just want to go to the loft.”

“We’re on our way.”

Justin leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. Brian saw dark circles there. Yeah… they had to talk…but first…The kid needed to fucking sleep.

He slung Justin’s bag over his shoulder and woke him gently once he was parked. Justin was still groggy and leaning on Brian in the elevator. He headed straight to the bed leaving a trail of clothes behind him and was under the duvet before Brian had a chance to do more than kick his own shoes off.

An hour later Justin woke with a start sitting bolt upright. Brian handed him a bottle of water and he drank deeply. He could feel Brian's eyes boring into him as he sat with a pillow propping him up his eyes closed.

“You getting sick?”

Justin shook his head. “haven’t slept in three days, or eaten in two. I think I’m just worn out.”

“Well, crystal will do that to you.”

“Justin didn’t even open his eyes. “Not becoming a crystal queen I swear. I’m also so angry at you that I have definitive plans to kill you. I just thought I’d give you fair warning.”

“Definitive plans? Do I get to know what they are?”

“How would that help my plan.”

Brian smiled. “Well, maybe I won’t be able to thwart your evil master plan. All good villains tell the victim how they’re going to die. You know that.”

“Brian. I really am going to kill you I promise. Can I do it after my head stops pounding.”

“Aspirin?”

“And a beer.”

“No alcohol.”

“I’m not twelve.”

“You haven’t eaten in two days. No alcohol 'til you eat something. I’d hate for you to get sloppy drunk and fuck up your plan to kill me.”

“That would suck.”

“Do I get to know what I did?”

“Mmm hmmm.” Justin had swallowed the aspirin and closed his eyes. “I promise to tell you, but for now… can we cut the chit chat and can I just get some fucking sleep.”

“not the homecoming I’d planned Sunshine.”

“I’m not home I’m in Pittsburgh” Justin muttered before he fell fully asleep.

Brian sat in the dark and drank more beam and didn’t even try to puzzle his way though what was going on.

He did find Justin’s phone and turn it off. He did lock the door and set the alarm. He did turn off the loft phone. And he did think Justin had every intention of killing him. he just had no fucking idea why.


	18. Chapter 18

  


* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

Justin woke up and reached for his water bottle. His head hurt. He was hungry. He looked to his right. Brian wasn’t there. He needed to talk to him but first he needed some coffee and toast.

Brian was passed out on the sofa, an almost empty bottle of Beam cradled in his arm. “FUCK.” Justin thought to himself. This would be easier if the fucker wasn’t so goddamned sensitive about everything. Then again, he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d said before he crashed last night.

He was sitting at the kitchen table debating toasting another bagel when Brian started showing signs of life.

“Coffee?”  
  


Brian nodded and Justin brought him a mug, hot, strong, sweet. Brian grunted in acknowledgement or thanks and Justin brought his own cup to the sofa sitting on the opposite end, both curled up into their own protective space. Neither touching.

“We need to talk.”

“No shit.”

“Something’s wrong.”

“No shit.”

“Brian can you stop for a second.”

“Sure. What am I stopping?”

“Can you just let me talk?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Justin stood up quickly and started rummaging through the kitchen. He eventually found peanut butter and bread. He made himself a sandwich and continued to ignore Brian.

“Justin come back.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll order something.”  
  


Justin threw the entire mess into the sink. The knife rattled. The plate almost broke. He didn’t care.

“Thought we were gonna keep it to pacing and fucking up my floors.”

“Fuck you.”

Brian stood up and went to the bathroom ignoring Justin’s outburst. When he came out, his face was still wet. He’d splashed cold water on it trying to clear his head. He was trying to maintain his patience.

He called in the order and they sat in silence.

Once the food came Brian sat on the sofa and picked at his. Justin inhaled his sesame noodles at the table. Neither spoke. When Justin had finished he left the empty boxes on the table and headed back to the bed. Brian grabbed his arm.

“Uh uh. You’re the one who said we needed to talk.”

Justin walked back to the sofa and curled up in a corner of it. Brian wanted to hold him. But he wasn’t sure that was safe. He sat on the other side and angled his body so that they were facing each other. He reached out a leg to bump a bare foot against Justin’s but Justin pulled his knees in closer wrapping his arms around them.

Brian didn’t say another word. He watched Justin physically retreat. He watched Justin’s face and couldn’t read a single one of the emotions that were flitting across. He felt like a coiled spring. One wrong move and he’d unfurl and go skittering across the loft. He had a feeling Justin was in a similar state.

“I did something phenomenally stupid.”

“That’s not new.”

“It’s your fault.”

“That’s not new either.”

“I was really angry.”

“ _was?_ ”

“Am. I am really angry.”

“Sadly, that’s not new either.”

“I love you Brian.”

“First good news I’ve had all day. But is that why you’re angry?”

Justin said nothing.

“You pick where you want to start. Phenomenally stupid or really angry?”

“I got really fucked up.”

“I know. I called you.”

“Like, lost for two days fucked up. And before you say anything, I’m not Ted. I’m not a fucking crystal queen. I just suddenly understood the appeal of being too tweaked to care. And I guess it wasn’t _that_ stupid.”

“What wasn’t getting fucked up or what you did while you were? Who was watching you?”

“no one needs to watch me Brian. I don’t’ need a fucking babysitter.  
  


Brian said nothing but right this moment…he wasn’t so sure.

Justin sighed. “Matt was there for a while, but he had to go.”

Brian wanted to scream. His images of where this might be heading were killing him. “So Matt left.”

“And I was flying pretty high. And the guys were hot, and the music was loud and the beer was cold”

“You were drinking while you were tweaked.”

“Yeah, I broke that rule but that’s a bullshit rule. You break that one all the time.”

“I don’t have your bizarre body chemistry. I’m not allergic to cats Tylenol and some shades of green.”

“Fuck you.”

“Still with the anger.”

“Still there, just buried a little under the whole hating myself thing.”

“Justin… can we get to the phenomenally stupid part before I imagine something that has to be worse than what you actually did?”

“I went home with some guy.”

“So you’re tweaked, you’re drunk. No one is around to know you’re leaving and you take a guy home.”

“No. This is kind of where the stupid part comes in.”

Brian inhaled deeply. “Okay.”

“I went back to his place. And it’s not against our rules. But it’s against mine. I don’t do that. I’m not that stupid. You’re bigger than I am Brian. You’ve got a better chance of making your own way out of a situation if you want to. I’m not really a twink anymore but I’m not exactly a bear either. I don’t go back to his place, ever.”

“Good rule.”

Justin smiled a little ruefully. “I always thought so. But I woke up at his place. Don’t remember how we got there. Don’t remember him… and before you ask…yes we were safe. Made sure of that before I left. Don’t need more fear. But it was scary and it was wrong and I was out of control. Not your control. My own control and it was your fault.”

“You know those definitive plans you have to kill me?”

Justin was staring at his own toes his chin resting on his knees. “Yeah.”

“I’m gonna have to borrow them and kill you first.”

“I know you’re mad.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because I was acting like a stupid twat?”

“Good. You do know. Look, I’m not big on telling you what to do.”

Justin snorted.

“Okay, I am a little into telling you what to do, but it’s not like you ever listen. But that’s not the point here. The point here is that ultimately I trust you. Not just with stupid shit, like that you’re not gonna go schoolboy mooney eyed over some romantic bullshit and that you’re gonna be honest with me if you do. I trust you. as a man, to be smart. Don’t make me question that. I don’t know if I can worry that much. I’ll get prematurely gray.”

“So I won’t tell you.”

“What?”

“If you worry too much when shit like this happens I won’t tell you about it.”

“Not the answer I was looking for.”

“Brian I’m not gonna do that again. And I’m telling you now because I fucking scared myself. And this is still all your fault.”

“Okay. Lets agree that you’re not going to do anything even remotely like that again. We’ll table the debate as to how much I’m allowed to hate Matt right now.”

“Not at all.”

“I said we’re tabling that debate.”

“Whatever.”

“Now lets focus on why it’s my fault you went into some sort of self inflicted drug binge that ended in your waking up in a strange room next to a strange trick and no memory of the preceding events.”

“Because you pissed me off.”

“I’ve been pissing you off for six years. You finally cracked?”

“The other stuff was penny ante shit.”

“Really? You didn’t think so at the time.”

“I didn’t know what real bullshit was.”

“And what is it.”

“It’s you, trying to run my life. Trying to control me. Making it impossible for us to ever be together permanently. Because you always have to be the one on top. And if you make a bad sexual innuendo I’m fucking leaving. But you have to be in the lead. And I thought the whole point to this little…whatever the fuck we have, is that eventually we were gonna be partners. EQUAL partners. I can’t be your equal while I’m still your kid.”

“Justin if you were my kid what we have would be too twisted to contemplate.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I swear to Christ I don’t.”

“You. You and your fucking deep pockets.” Justin was standing and pacing now. He seemed to have completely lost the lethargy of a few moments ago. Brian took two cigarettes out of his pack and lit them both. He handed one to Justin who took it without noticing, inhaled deeply and continued to pace. 

When he became aware of it he threw it back at Brian. “Like that.”

Brian moved quickly, capturing the lit cigarette and putting it in the ashtray before it left a hole in his sofa or his shirt. He was pissed now. He grabbed Justin’s arm and flung him back onto the sofa. He leaned in 'til they were practically nose-to-nose.

“I don’t care if you want to fuck up my floors. I care that you’re pissed at me and we’re gonna work this out. But…” Brian's eyes were dark, he was angry and Justin seemed to recognize that maybe he’d crossed a line. “You ever throw a fucking lit cigarette at me again and you won’t have a chance to wonder what it is you did to upset me. Got it?”  
  


Justin nodded and swallowed.

Brian moved back, allowing Justin to move again but he didn’t. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t fucking do it again.”

“Brian…”

“Just tell me what I did, and I’ll fix it, or stop doing it, or whatever.”

“that’s just it. You want to FIX it. You want to fix everything. I’m struggling to build a life, and you just can’t seem to let me do it.”

“I’m missing the part where I’m doing anything to hold you back from having a life.”

“I’m an adult.”

“Yes.”

“But you keep fixing things, buying things, providing things. You want me to take a cab from the airport…like I’ve got that kind of cash. You want me to accept that you had business cards made up for me. Like I have no method of making money, no earning potential without your assistance.

I break my phone you buy me a new one.

I need studio space. You set up an entire studio.

I look at something online and it magically appears.

Brian it’s okay to want something and not get it.”

“Why should you have to?” 

“Because most people do. Because it’s about earning it. Because I’m never going to be anything but the little woman to you if my career, my life, is just a hobby you support.”

“You really think that?”

“It’s the truth.”

“No. But you really think it is don’t you.”

“Brian. What’s your net worth?”

“What?”

“You, how much are you worth?”

“I heard somewhere that if you boil a body down to chemicals and bones it’s worth a couple of hundred bucks.”

Justin glared at him. “

You want me to call Ted and have him send you the profit and loss statements for the last quarter?”

“Like you don’t know what it says on that bottom line.”

“Yeah I do. Why do you care?”

“Because you do.”

“I do?”

“You care that you can provide for everyone. But you’re so busy providing you don’t notice that you’re taking something from me at the same time.”

“What? What is it you think I’m taking from you?”

“My independence, my ability to ever be equal. My right to want things.”

“Not seeing a single one of these as being related to me replacing your phone.”

“Brian I make a decent living Rage. The next issue is coming out soon. Okay, the Honeymoon issue didn’t sell quite like the wedding volume… it did okay. I’m not flat broke. I’ve also sold some art in the past year. And got a couple of commissions to do portraits and shit.”

“I know all this.”

“So I was drooling over a computer. And I figured that next year, I’d be able to afford one like that when they’d upgraded the processor speed and this was last years model. But then you bought it for me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Brian. Do you realize that I can’t show an interest in anything without you assuming I’m asking you to buy it for me.”

“You’ve never asked me to buy you anything.”

“But if you buy me everything I look at, then I can’t look at anything without you inferring that I’m asking.”

“I don’t care if you ask. I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

Justin rubbed his face with his hands and then pulled them through his hair. “You really don’t understand?”

“I really have no clue why it’s wrong to buy you something if you want it.”

“Because I want to want it.”

“What?”

“Brian. If I said. ‘I’m ready, I’m coming home’ what would you say?”

“Today? That you don’t think this is home.”

“What?”

“That’s what you said last night, you weren’t home. You were in Pittsburgh.”

“Well, this isn’t supposed to be home.”

“Bullshit.”

“Brian I’m supposed to be building a life. And I am, and it’s not a bad life. I have friends.” Justin ignored Brian’s derisive snort. The matt issue was gonna have to be addressed. “I have work. I am making some amazing connections and feeling really good about some of the stuff I’m producing.”

“Okay.”

“But if I were to come back here. I would be back in the world that revolves around you. Our family… YOUR family. Our loft… YOUR loft. Our money…YOUR money. My art…YOUR little donation to the art world.

Everything in this world revolves around you. My father, who you hate, has a little half-breed and suddenly he’s your new best friend. There’s no part of me that doesn’t get swallowed up by you when I’m here. And Brian. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take working towards something that’s never gonna happen.”

Brian was silent. 

“Say something.”

Brain wasn’t sure he could talk. “Never gonna happen?”

“Us. Together, equals. It can’t happen while I’m still a lowly artist making chump change and you’re some rich sugar daddy.”

“Is that really what you think? That how much money you make factors into our equality?”

“Of course it does.”

Brian laughed. Justin glared at him but Brian was laughing too hard to stop. “Christ.” He finally managed. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“What the fuck is so goddamned funny?”

“You. You’re adorable, and retarded, and pathetic and funny. Do you really think I give a shit if you never earn another dime in your life?”

“Brian I give a shit. And yes, I think I’d get to hear about what a nice little girl I make for all eternity while I stay home and cook and iron you’re fucking shirts.”

“You’ve never ironed anything in your life. And even if you decided to never sell another piece of art again ever… I’d still send my shirts out. And I don’t think of you as the little woman. Trust me, I don’t want a wife.”

“And I don’t want to be one.”

“Which is why what we have works. Or was working 'til you fried one too many brain cells.”

“Brian I’m serious.”

“I know. That’s the only reason I’m not laughing harder. Justin, do you really think that money is what makes you my equal.”

“No, money is why I’ll never be your equal.”

“You really won’t. You surpassed me years ago.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I’ m not. Who the fuck has all the hand in this relationship Justin? Who leaves?”

“Not fair.”

“Honest. You. You leave, you come back. You say yes, you say no. If anyone’s the little wife waiting on the sidelines it’s me. But I don’t care. Because you do come back and you do say yes. And I’m fine with it.”

“Because you know that you can leave if you want.”

“Financially I can go anywhere I want. I want to be here so I can pick you up from the airport when your plane gets in.”

“You still don’t get it.”

“I do. What’s funny is that you don’t. We have the most twisted relationship I know. And that includes some really fucked up shit when you consider the fact that I know about three straight people total. Even for Liberty Avenue our relationship is non conventional…but suddenly you want to start checking balance sheets and deciding who brings home the bacon and who fries it? That’s probably the most twisted thing you’ve wanted in a while.”

“Brian.”

“Think about it. I want a beer. You?”

“Yeah.”

Brian brought back the beer and sat closer to Justin this time. He ran a hand through Justin’s hair. “It’s not about money.”

“It’s a little about money.”

“No even then it’s about contribution. Justin you contribute more to this thing we have. No. Not more. You contribute, so do I. We make adjustments, concessions, and compromises. And do you think I’d be where I am now without you?”

“Yes.”

“Wrong. I’d probably be dead. But beyond that. Justin you helped design KinnetiK. You came up with the name. You fucking figured out the perfect layout for Babylon, and then re=did it and made it more perfect when the fucking plumbing and pipes weren’t where they were supposed to be.

There are a lot of people who have built me into something in their heads. Mikey, Lindsay, Melanie, Deb, Ted…hell, even Cyn thinks she knows me. You’re the ONLY person who’s built me into something honest in your own head and in my life.”

“What are you on?”

“What?”

“You never talk this much.”

“This is important to me. You think you don’t fucking contribute? Justin you fucking inspire all of it. And no, I’m not gonna give you some bullshit about doing it all for you. It’s for me. I like being able to afford things. I like winning. And I like what I do. And I’m fucking good at it. But it wouldn’t mean half as much if I didn’t have you to call while I’m doing it. And it wouldn’t mean much at all if I couldn’t help you sometimes.”

“But you help me ALL the time.”

“Well I can try to back off on that. I can’t promise. I like to buy you things.”

“Do you have any idea what it looked like when I opened that web cam in front of my friends?”

“Looked like I wanted to see you naked even if we were in different cities.”

“Yeah, but that was not a ‘free with purchase’ little thing. That was thousands of dollars worth of equipment. That entire set up was so I could edit the volume and the bass and all the other bullshit in my multi media pieces.”

“And so I could see you naked.”

“But they only got the seeing me naked part. Which makes me a whore.”

“And me a skeezy old perv.”

“Well yeah.” Justin smiled for the first time today.

“Do you ever have to rush home and be naked because I’ve demanded it?”

“Um, when the fuck would you do that?”

“That’s my point. This isn’t about you being my little kept boy. This is about me keeping my man.”

“You’re weird.”

“You’re in love with me what does that make you?”

“Pathetic.”

“Is this round over?”

Justin leaned back exhausted, and drained his beer. “Yeah.”

“We’ve still got shit to talk about.”

“No shit.”

“We can do it later though”

“Fine.”

“Come to bed.”

“Is that an order?”

“Can’t order around an unrepentant man”

“Then no, I’m not coming to bed.” He smirked.

Brian shrugged and straddled his legs. “Sofa works.”

“Brian.” Justin sighed and Brian licked a wide swipe from his shoulder to his ear. He shuddered. “Take me to bed.”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

Brian took Justin's hand and walked with him up the stairs.

He pushed at the waistband of his sweatpants and lifted him out of them, throwing him back on to the bed. He shed his own jeans and shirt quickly and was kissing gently at Justin's neck and nibbling on his ears. He heard Justin make sounds in the back of his throat and moved his mouth lower to his nipples.

He was intent on putting this fight behind them. To do that. To really be beyond a fight, everyone knows you need makeup sex.

He put slid the condom on and Justin's legs were wrapped around his back, his body moving trying to capture the head of Brian's cock and pull it inside him. Brian obliged and when he was buried to the hilt he waited for that familiar feel of Justin's acceptance. For Justin’s body to start to move and when it did he set a fast rhythm moving in and out of him. Groaning as Justin's hands splayed across his back, pulling him to him.

Brian stopped all movement for a moment. He stared into Justin’s eyes. “Don’t ever think I don’t need you Justin, probably more than you need me.”

Justin came then, without Brian moving again. His body milking Brian’s orgasm from him. They collapsed together, knowing that was the first of many rounds to come. Both conversationally and in bed.


	19. Chapter 19

Brothers Keeper 19

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

Brian lit a cigarette. Justin rolled over him to get his own. They both lay on their backs, naked, hips touching. Justin moved his free hand to rest it on Brian’s. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”  
  


“I really am. I know I’ve been impossible.”

“Not impossible. Improbable. Difficult. Cunty even. But you’re never really impossible.”

“I’m just working through some shit.”

Brian grunted something that wasn’t quite agreement, but not quite dismissive either. 

“Brian, I know you’re still mad.”

“Do me a fucking favor?”

“What?”

“Stop telling me what I feel.”

Justin turned to look at him. “I’m not telling you. I’m acknowledging it. There _is_ a difference.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Well, then you _were_ mad. Thought you were gonna take my head off.”

“Wouldn’t actually kill you.”

“But…”

“Let it go.”

“No. I can’t. Not when I’m not sure exactly why you were so fucking angry.”

“Not angry.”

“Whatever. Agitated, upset, furious.”

“You ask me to trust you and then you pull shit like that.”

“Brian, it was a mistake. I know it’s not your responsibility. I know it’s not your fault. I got so fucked up I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what?”

“Justin. I’ll put up with your bullshit. It’s not new. But there’s shit I won’t put up with.”

“I know. And I’m swearing to both of us I’m not getting that fucked up again.”

Brian stubbed out his cigarette angrily and sat up. He was about to stand up when Justin grabbed his wrist. “Let’s stop walking away.”

“You don’t even know what you fucking did.”

“I do. I mean, I don’t remember much about the last couple of days but I know…”

“Justin I couldn’t give a fuck about who you tricked with.”

“So it’s the drug thing? Your hypocrisy is showing.”

“Justin. I’m gonna say this once. Then we’re gonna drop it for good okay?”

He turned his head to look at Justin who was now sitting next to him on the bed. He saw him nod. 

“Don’t ever fucking throw a lit cigarette at me again. I put up with bullshit like that for a long time. Then I left and never looked back. If you think I’m gonna let you do that just because I’m used to it, or you think you have the right to be that fucking angry, you’re wrong. You don’t know me.”

Brian was staring straight ahead. Justin leaned over and kissed his shoulder. “I was wrong.”

“No shit.”

“I didn’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I know.”

Justin pushed Brian backwards straddling him. He began kissing his neck. Brian leaned his head back giving him better access as his mouth found the soft spot just below his ear and flicked his tongue gently. He continued to move his hands and mouth. Brian’s eyes were closed his legs still dangling off the bed.

Brian knew what Justin was doing. There was a part of him. The very tiny still coherent part that hadn’t been fucked out and wasn’t currently being slowly brought back to full arousal, that part of him knew he should stop this. That part of him knew that Justin’s issues weren’t gonna be helped by using sex as an apology.

That part of him disintegrated in a fiery blaze when Justin licked at his hipbone. The ashes were swept away in the wind when Justin’s mouth sucked hard at the head of his now rigid cock.

Justin’s soft lips slipped down his shaft until he felt him self bump against the back of his throat. He felt the smooth ridges on the roof of Justin's mouth as he slid his lips back to the head and licked at the precum. He pulled at Justin's arms, silently signaling him to move his body up. When Justin lifted himself off of Brian he repositioned them both. 

They were on their knees, their bodies pressed against one another. Brian was licking at Justin's full bottom lip. Then he made the slightest gesture with his shoulder, squeezing his hand just an infinitesimally bit harder on Justin’s left hip. Words were not necessary. Justin turned. His legs spread, his body angled towards Brian. 

His lithe little body. Brian ran his hands down Justin's back and over his perfect ass. He slid them between his pale thighs and grit his teeth against the desire to fuck him just like that. Fuck condoms. Fuck any lube other than his own cock, slicked with precum. But he inhaled sharply and brought himself back under some semblance of control… some parts of your brain should never be ignored.

He reached between Justin's legs and watched in fascination and awe at the way his body reacted to his touch. He watched him arch and move as his hand skimmed lightly over Justin’s hard and wet shaft. He pulled back; feather light touches on his balls as he reached over for a condom. He could hear the boy’s breath. He could see his body trembling with need. He felt gratified.

There was a lot of crap they had to deal with. The conversation wasn’t over. Justin still needed him, still wanted him. For right this moment, that was enough. Justin was already slick, already prepared, this was number four…or was it five, for them this afternoon but he did it anyway. 

He pushed his fingers inside because he loved to hear that gasp. He did it because he loved to see him buck against his hand and spread himself open knowing this was just the preliminary round. He loved to watch him bite his lip, trying in vain to be quiet.

That one always amused Brian. Justin was fine with relinquishing control when they fucked. He gave himself over to it entirely. Brian envied him that sometimes, and thought it might kill them both at others, but he always started as if he were sure that this time he would at least control his own reactions. This time he would be silent, not beg, not whimper, not gasp, not groan. It never worked. 

Brian wanted to hear him do all of those things. Loved to hear him. Needed to hear him. The desperation, the desire, and the love. It was all there in the way his body responded and the way his brain short-circuited sometimes. The way he was unable to censor himself. Brian's fingers moved more quickly, and Justin apparently gave up the illusion of any ability to stop himself from moaning.

He was making noises Brian knew weren’t human. Had no meaning outside of the two of them. But Brian knew what each one meant. Knew what was pleasure, what was pain. Knew which growl was a command to speed things up and which purr meant to slow it down and let him enjoy the moment a little longer.

And when they mixed, it was a fucking goddamned symphony. Justin’s body was like that now, on edge. He was growling and panting as he pushed back, trying to take more of Brian's hand into his body. He was purring the next moment when Brian twisted a finger and swept a knuckle against his prostate. And then the growl again indicating he wanted more. And Brian gave up thinking, listening only to the sounds Justin made. 

His body reacted to those sounds. His hands held Justin's hips as he plunged his sheathed dick deep in a single stroke. No thinking necessary for this. This was about bodies talking to each other. Nothing but instinct and rote memory. He slid a hand up Justin’s back and across his shoulder and then back down his chest until his long fingers were around Justin’s cock. He was pounding into him like an animal and Justin was rutting against his hand in the same manner. 

He could feel Justin’s breath speed up, feel his body begin to tremble and contract around him and he leaned in to kiss his shoulder blade.

Justin let out a half moan half yell as he shot. It covered the sound of the loft door sliding open.

“Hey Brian I just stopped by to…. OH MY GOD!!!!”

Brian heard the sound, wasn’t sure if Justin did. He gritted his teeth. He was so close. He pushed once more. Pulled out and rammed home again. Justin’s body shuddering under him, he finally came.

He grabbed the duvet and pulled it over the both of them as he turned.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Justin was still in a bit of a haze. It cleared quickly when he realized that his little half-breed was standing as if paralyzed in the middle of the loft staring at them.

“How the fuck long have you been here?”

Aaron smirked. “Long enough.”

Brian shot him a look. Justin glared dangerously. “Go away.”

“When did you get into town?”

“Go away.”

“I’m just saying you could have called then I would have known to leave you alone.”

“You could have fucking called. This isn’t your goddamned home. Why don’t you go there?” Justin flopped back on the bed and looked at Brian. “Make him go away.”

Brian stood up and pulled on a pair of jeans. “Go to work Aaron.”

“I stopped by they said they didn’t need me today. And I found these really cool cheat codes online. I want to try them.”

“Now’s not a good time.”

“What? You two finished. It’s not like you’re gonna go again right away.”

Justin smirked. Aaron would be out of there in seconds now.

Brian walked towards him with a menacing look in his eye and Aaron tried to pretend he wasn’t intimidated. He did back away when Brian invaded his personal space though. “Um, I guess I could…”

“Go away.”

Aaron nodded. “Are you gonna be at Deb’s on Sunday?”

Brian shook his head. The kid didn’t seem able to grasp a concept. “Aaron…”

“I’m sorry I just wanted to know cause um…”

Aaron was stalling for time. What the fuck? “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay, I’ll go.”

Brian closed his eyes, knowing he was about to piss Justin off. Sit. You want a soda.

“Beer’s fine.”

Brian sighed. Aaron had no sense of propriety around Justin. 

Justin sat up. “He’s staying?”

Brian shot him a look that said “We’ll talk about it later.”

He brought two bottles of mountain dew and a beer out of the ‘fridge. He handed one to Justin who had moved to the chair across from the sofa. He left one on the coffee table in front of Aaron and opened his own beer. 

“What did he do now?”

“Who?”

Brian shot Justin another glance and then waited. “He’s out front.”

“Why?”

“Cause I’m up here.”

“What’s going on?” Justin was confused.

“Apparently you inherited your stalker tendencies from Craig.”

“He’s downstairs. He followed you here?” Justin turned his attention to Aaron. 

“He does that sometimes. Not all the time. Just when he’s got it in his head that there’s something new to talk about.”

“I thought we discussed this and you weren’t gonna talk to him.”

“Justin I tried. But he’s yelling and screaming and the only way to shut him up is to pretend to listen.”

Justin stood up quickly and headed for the door. 

Brian was standing beside him. “Where are you going?”

“To get rid of him.”

“Barefoot? No shirt?” Brian ran a finger lightly over a rather vividly clear bite mark on Justin's shoulder. To emphasize his point. “That’s not going to make him calm.”

“Not trying to calm him down.”

“So you’re back to picking fights with him?”

Justin turned and leaned against the closed door and in a move that Brian was becoming all too familiar with, banged his head against it several times. Brian stopped him. “Cut that the fuck out. He’s fine, he’s safe, he’s here.”

“So much for our stealth weekend.”

Brian looked at his watch. “Almost eighteen hours. That may be a record for us.”

“I hate this shit.”

“I know.”

Justin leaned in and rested his head against Brian’s chest. “How long does he have to stay?”

“Couple hours. C’mon. You order food. I want to see if the cheat codes work. Fucking level’s been kicking both our asses.”

Brian joined Aaron on the sofa and watched for a second as they intently studied the codes and then tried them.

The order he was placing was drowned out by the victory yell of both of them when apparently one of them worked.

He sat back on the chair and watched the two of them playing. “ _Brian playing_ “ Justin thought to himself. Maybe Aaron was good for something. 

They ate, they chatted. Aaron judiciously didn’t mention what he’d walked in on earlier. And eventually Brian drove Aaron home. Justin elected to stay in. His argument was that he didn’t want to be seen, they still had the stealth thing going. Brian knew he was probably just tired.

When he got back to the loft he toed off his shoes and found Justin asleep on the sofa. He booted up the computer and lit a cigarette. Biting at his thumb he did a little mindless research on a new account. Justin woke up about three cigarettes later.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Sorry, I fell asleep.”

“Yeah, you should be sorry.”

“Why?”

“Irony.”

“Oh yeah, um…too tired for that at the moment.”

Brian said nothing. Bringing up the whole not sleeping, snorting crank issue wasn’t going to accomplish anything. “Feeling better?”

“Much.” Justin stretched and smiled. “I think I may never be able to have sex again though.”

Brian growled. 

“Brian, Aaron saw us.”

“So?”

“He’s my brother. It’s creepy.”

“No. If he joined us…that would be creepy. This was just… unfortunate.”

“You don’t care?”

“Have I ever cared who saw me fucking?”

“I guess not.”

Brian moved over to the sofa and sat against the arm, pulling Justin back with him until he was settled between his legs. Blonde hair tickling his chin as his head settled on his shoulder. 

“Are we okay?”

“We will be.” Brian slid his hand down Justin's arm rubbing his fingers gently between Justin's. 

“We’re not now though?”

“No. But I have faith you’ll come to your senses soon.”

He felt Justin stiffen, his body ready to leap and pounce. His heart rate was faster. “Hey… calm down. We’ll work this out but you’re still really pissed.”

“Yeah I am.”

“And you’re pissed at me.”

“A little.”

“A lot.”

“Because I can afford things and like to provide them.”

“That makes it sound stupid.”

“Yes it does.”

“You think it _is_ stupid.”

“I do. But you don’t.”

“So you think I’m stupid.”

“That’s a leap. I think you’ve let society dictate something to you. I hate that.”

“You really do. You’re the only one who’s allowed to dictate to me…or anyone.”

“Exactly. So I’m dictating that it doesn’t matter.”

“Why doesn’t that work?”

“It doesn’t?”

“No. It should. You say ‘it doesn’t matter.’ I nod. And abracadabra, it doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe that’s the wrong magic word. Try opensesame”

“Brian shut up.”

“Okay, but I think we’re on to something. The right magic word will fix all of this.”

“Now you’re making me sound stupid again.”

“Not making you do anything. I’m enhancing your natural abilities.”

“You’re saying I’m naturally stupid.”

“You _are_ blonde.”

“Fuck you.”

“And angry. An angry dumb blonde…just what I always wanted.”

“I’m not dumb…but two out of three ain’t bad.”

“Except I really prefer that you get over the whole rage thing.”

“Forgot, you’ve cornered the market on rage.”

“That’s right, you owe me royalties.”

“Did you know Matt didn’t know you were Rage?”

“Why should he?”

“He knew I was JT.”

“Yeah and Matt’s a real brain trust.”

“Hey, he’s pretty smart. He writes some amazing shit.”

“Provides some too I hear.”

“So I guess this discussion is no longer tabled.”

“I can’t tell you what to do Justin but you don’t fucking leave your friends when they’re that far gone. That’s WHY you don’t take candy from strangers. That’s why you don’t sit at home and get wasted alone.”

“Hypocrisy 101 by Brian Kinney.”

“I don’t do that shit either.”

“Only cause Michael follows you around with water and beer and whatever else you need.”

“But I know he’ll do that.”

“But you don’t NOT do it if he’s not there.”

“I’m careful.”

“Except when you don’t want to be.”

“What?”  
  


“I’m not new here. You think I don’t know about your little death wish moments?”

“What the fuck are you talking about.”

Justin turned his head to look Brian in the eye. He extracted his hand from Brian’s and waved. “Hi, have we met? I’m Justin Taylor, reason for everything that’s ever upset you since we met. You must be Michael’s best friend since you were fourteen Brian Kinney.”

“Christ, what does he do, run to you every time he thinks you fucked me up?”

“Just like he runs to you every time he thinks I’m fucking you over.”

“I don’t have a death wish.”

“Yes you do. But it’s okay. Part of the mystery.”

“Yeah, I’m so fucking mysterious.”

“Not to me. But then again, I don’t really think it’s okay that you have no regard for your own fucking life.”

“I thought we were discussing how much I hate Matt.”

“I changed the subject.”

“Change it back.”

“Stop trying to kill yourself.”

“You really don’t want to talk about Matt. Why is that?”

“Because this was no one’s fault but mine. And you blaming him is like Michael blaming me.”

“But Michael wouldn’t leave if I were as fucked up as you were.”

“Michael won’t leave, no matter how fucked up you are.”

“He’s over that.”

“The bizarre puppy dog crush? Yeah, he is. The thing where he thinks you’re my responsibility and when I’m not here, his. Nope, not over that.”

“He’s got his own life now.”

“You’re a part of it.”

“That bothers you?”

“No. Michael’s actually good for you sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Well, he lets you get away with way to much.”

“No one lets me get away with anything. I don’t have to answer to anyone.”

“You don’t actually believe that do you?”

Brian sighed. “No. It was nice while it lasted.”

“No it wasn’t.”

“Sometimes it was.”

“Do you wish you still didn’t have anyone to answer to?”

“No Justin, I don’t wish you weren’t in my life.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s what you asked.”

“So we’re okay.”

“Yeah. We’re fine. But you’re gonna lose it again.”

“Why?”

“Cause I’m gonna fuck up and buy you something.”

“No you’re not.”

“I’m not?”

“If you see something, and you think. Gee, I’ll bet Justin would just love to have that...”

“I think the word gee? When did I start doing that?”

“Shut up. When you think. Motherfucker, I have to buy that for Justin.”

“Better.”

“You’ll then think…let me call him and see if he wants me to buy it for him.”

“I will?”

“I’m thinking this is how it works. You ask, and then I can say yes or no. Then I’m not indebted to you.”

“You’re not indebted to me if I buy you everything on the fucking planet.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s not. That’s the part I need you to get.”

“I get that you think that. It’s just not true Brian. You can’t pay my way through life and expect people to see me as an adult.”

“Ha!”

“What?”

“It’s about what other people see… I knew it!”

“Fuck you. It is not.”

“It is, it’s about what your friends think. What Matt thinks.”

“We’re back to Matt?”

“You thought I was gonna let that go?”

“What is there to discuss? You can’t make me stop being friends with him. And I can’t believe I just had to say that. Last time I had an argument like this was… probably Cody.”

“He needed to be shot.”

“He probably has been.”

“What is it with you and really bad choices in men?”

“I don’t know but you lucked out.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Lucky bastard with an insane twink and his twisted half-breed invading my life.”

“I can get Aaron to back off.”

“No, you can’t. But it’s okay. He’s not so bad. He’s kind of sweet.”

“I’m gonna have to reevaluate my plan to kill you. I don’t think it was painful enough.”

“I though we were beyond the thing where you thought it was all my fault.”

“You just called my half-breed sweet.”

“He is.”

“He’s evil.”

“He really isn’t.”

“He’s playing you.”

“Yeah, but only because I let him.”

Justin pulled back and moved so that he was completely facing Brian on the other end of the sofa. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why are you letting him play you?”

“No clue.”

“Really?”  
  


“Really. He’s a kid. He’s your brother. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“But you know he’s fucking with you.”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“So you let him.”

Brian sighed. “He’s got a shit for a father Justin. We both know a little something about that. He’s got some bullshit going on at school that he doesn’t talk about but we both know something about how nasty that can get too.”

“Fuck is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s a tough little punk. But I’ve seen the bruises. Not bad. Not a lot. Just your standard bully crap. But he likes it here. He likes to do stupid stuff when he knows I’m watching so I’ll stop him. He doesn’t do it when I’m not watching. That’s how I know he’s playing me.”

“How do you know what he does when you’re not watching?”

“The walls have eyes… and I pay them.”

“You pay people to watch him?”

“No. But Jamie talks to me… I have a pretty good idea of what he’s up to. And when I’m not around he clubs with Emmett and Gordon.”

“So what, he just wants to make sure someone cares.”

“I guess so.”

“And you go out of your way to make sure he knows someone does.”

“Not really out of my way.”

“Classic Kinney bullshit.”

“Whatever that means.”

“It means that god forbid anyone actually know that you DO care. So you pretend to do it to make him happy.”

“It does make him happy.”

“You’re backwards. And you’re the one who’s sweet.”

“Tell anyone and I’ll kill you.”

“Who’d believe me?”

“Good point.”

“I’m taking a shower. Join me.”

Brian smiled and followed Justin into the shower. They were both naked and drying off when Justin leaned into Brian again. “I want you.”

“You have me.”

“I want…”

“What?”

Justin was quiet. His face turned red and Brian knew exactly what he wanted. He shook his head. “No.”

“No?”

“Not today.”

“You’re saying no? When do you say no?”

“When I think you want this to prove something. When I think you just want…”

“Brian.”

He held Justin and felt himself grow hard. “Justin, not to actually punish you. Not because you hate yourself.”

“I don’t.”

“You did yesterday.”

“I got over it.”

He pushed Justin away gently dragging his eyes away from his dick, which was almost visibly throbbing in anticipation. “Are you sure?”

Justin didn’t say another word. He spread himself out on the middle of the bed and waited.

Brian would give Justin anything he wanted. He knew that, they both knew that, but he…

Justin moved, just the tiniest writhe against the sheets…his pale body against the new deep indigo Egyptian cotton and Brian put away all other thoughts. He wanted this and he’d give him this.

Justin licked his lips and smiled. He’d watched Brian’s internal debate. He moved his body, just a little, just enough to remind Brian exactly what he was debating…or make him forget.

He felt himself roughly flipped onto his stomach and he knew he’d won…or lost…or something. Whatever had happened…it was good.

Brian started so gently, so carefully binding his wrists. Sliding a soft pillow under his hips. Kissing the backs of his knees as he pushed them forward and positioned him exactly the way he wanted him. “Don’t fucking move.”

Justin shuddered at the gravel rough low pitch of Brian’s voice against his ear. He wiggled his ass, and Brian slapped it, hard. He couldn’t drop his head, not with his arms tied together and attached to the hook in the wall…instead he let it fall onto his biceps as he felt Brian begin in earnest.

It felt so good. Brian thought he was asking for punishment and maybe he was. But it was also about trust, and a connection. Justin felt that… And then there was nothing but the amazing feel of hard paddle against his ass. Of Brian's mouth kissing the hot red skin. He moaned and Brian started again.

He arched his back, spreading his legs and angling towards the paddle. Then it stopped. “I said don’t fucking move.” 

Justin was so hard he wanted to beg but it was too soon. He pulled himself back into position and Brian started again. Hard and fast, hitting the curve of his ass. Justin yelped and moaned and knew he needed this right now.

He felt Brian slide his fingers inside him, and he couldn’t stop himself from whimpering. Brian was leaning against him, pulling roughly at his nipples, whispering in his ear.

“You’re such a dirty boy. So hot, so wet, just because I’m spanking you. You love that right?”

Justin tried to nod but Brian was biting at his earlobe while he moved his fingers inside him. You want to come so badly Justin I can feel your whole body trembling. You want to but not yet. Not now. Not while you’re being punished right?”

Justin moaned in agreement but knew it wasn’t up to him. Brian’s fingers were stroking expertly inside him. He felt jolts of primal need flow through him and he moved back and forth sliding along Brian's long nimble fingers. He felt the heat of Brian’s body and then felt its loss. He felt the fingers leave him and he wanted to cry. 

Brian's hand was solid and sharp as it caught the bottom of his ass and slapped hard and he moaned. He felt that same hand roughly rub against his dick and was sure he was going to come. He tried to think of something else but Brian's voice was washing over him in hot waves.

“You think this is all for me Justin but you know you wanted it. Needed it. You know that you love this. Love feeling like you’re mine. You love to feel like my possession.”

Justin knew it was true and in the real world, the outside world, he’d fight it. Right here, in this bed. He didn’t want anything else. 

“All yours Brian. Always yours Brian.”

He felt something bumpy and cool slide into him and he spread his legs wider to accept its girth. Brian silently pushed his legs back together and began with the paddle again.

Justin couldn’t think anymore. Didn’t want to. Let the pain become pure pleasure. Let the raw energy take over.

His body was covered in a sheen of sweat. His ass was burning and he needed to come so badly he was begging now. Promising anything. The assault didn’t stop. He didn’t want it to. He trusted Brian. He didn’t have to think beyond that right now. He felt Brian’s tongue slide down from the crack of his ass to his balls and he felt Brian take them into his mouth sucking so hard it almost hurt.

He was making noises. Words were beyond him. When he felt the soft graze of teeth and the cool air on his wet sac he gasped and Brian pulled the plug out of him and replaced it with his own sheathed cock.

He was draped over Justin now. His arm resting on the wall under his, supporting some of his weight while he fucked him and never stopped telling him what a good dirty little boy he was. 

He pulled back then. Telling Justin how beautiful his hot red ass looked when he fucked it. He pushed the head of his cock against Justin's’ prostate and then continued to prod the sensitive bundle of nerves until Justin’s body was shaking. The slightest movement made him throw his head back and gasp. 

“Now Justin. Come for me now.”

He almost cried in relief as Brian continued to stroke him from the inside, his hands laying a few stinging slaps on his ass at the same time, and Justin came, harder than he thought he could. 

He saw flashes of red and white behind his eyes. The tremors ran through his body in waves of shuddering ecstasy and he wanted to collapse but he was held secure and in place by Brian who continued to fuck him. Continued to stimulate his prostate so that his body bucked and jerked with every movement. He felt himself grow hard again and he was moaning Brian's name as he grabbed and stroked at his cock while fucking him faster. They both came then. And Brian moved to untie Justin’s arms.

When he did Justin collapsed. He saw bright flashes swim across his vision. He couldn’t move, couldn’t talk.

Brian picked up his hand and kissed his wrist. Sucking lightly on the pulse point and Justin felt as if Brian was still inside him. He felt his heart rate slow and strong arms pull him close holding him. He felt boneless. Floaty. Melting. Good. 

Before he drifted off he heard Brian whisper softly into his ear. “Don’t ever tell me I don’t know what you need Justin. I’ll always give you what you need.”


	20. Chapter 20

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

At least Aaron didn’t mention to anyone else that he’d seen Justin in town. Saturday passed in a blissful haze of good weed, takeout, and fucking. They talked some but not about anything important. There was still a lot to be settled but they’d reached some sort of détente for the day and for the first time in a while Justin felt like maybe he could belong both here and in New York. 

Sunday was a little more tense. This wasn’t surprising to either of them. Justin had to be back on a plane at midnight. Neither were particularly happy about the separation at the moment.

“You sure you _have_ to go back tonight?”

“Yeah. I’ve got some stuff at home I have to finish up before I take it over to the gallery on Tuesday. I’m sure HikeNow wants something else changed at this point… I’ll check my messages later.”

“Fuck. I have to call Ted. The changes you made for Babylon are putting us over budget, I need to see how broke I’m going to be.”

“Pfft.”

“Hey I didn’t say the designs weren’t brilliant. I said that they’re high end.”

“I thought you wanted it high end. I can make changes. Make it less costly.”

“No… it’s good the way it is. In fact…”

“What?”

“This is that thing where I’m supposed to have asked you first…but we didn’t have that agreement then. So now I’m telling you. Next time I promise to ask.”

“Brian. What did you do?”

“Paul said that the designs were really well done. Detailed, but doable. The changes weren’t insane and kept the integrity of the original plan without putting his guys out too much.”

“Brian. What did you do?”

“I kind of…”

Justin was on his elbow looking at Brian laying his head back on the pillow and looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Just tell me.”

“Paul wants to use you to design some new projects he’s been hired to do. He’s not good at the artistic element. He can manage a project. Control a crew, deal with permit and inspectors, but he can’t come up with an original idea to save his life or his business.”

“So you decided I should start a design firm?”

“No…I… kind of.”

Justin laughed. “Classic Kinney bullshit.”

“Are you mad?”

“What’s it pay?”

“You have to negotiate that with Paul.”

“Do I charge by the hour or the job?”

“ _Now_ you _want_ help?”

Justin pushed at Brian's shoulder with his hand. “I never said I don’t want help. I said I don’t want things handed to me.”

“Charge a basic flat rate to take on a client and then by the hour for the design work, and pad your billable hours. No one needs to know you can knock that shit out in your sleep.”

“It’s really easy once you get the dimensions right.”

“No it isn’t. It’s easy for you. You’re good at it. Oh and get a retainer.”

“A retainer?”

“Yeah, you get the flat rate, then suddenly you’re billing for hours…once they’ve got the plans, they can stiff you. Get a retainer for the first X number of billable hours.”

“This sounds like a real business.”

“It could be. You really should incorporate.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“No, Rage is incorporated right?”

“Yeah, Mikey and I did that. Mel said we should. Ted said we should. Once it started making money everyone was full of advice.”

“Well Ted can help you with that.”

Justin glared at Brian. “If you want. And he can bill you for hours…although that’s stupid.”

“Why is it stupid. If I’m gonna incorporate shouldn’t I be paying the guy who does all the boring numbers work?”

Brian sighed. “He’d do it for free, or on my time.”

“If he’s doing it on your time it’s on your dime.”

“And if he’s doing it on my time and billing you too then he’s a shady bastard.”

“So why don’t I get him to recommend a good accountant who isn’t you know, part of our ridiculously complicated twisted little family.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Justin was drawing lazy circles around Brian's nipples with his fingers. “I can ask him at dinner at Deb’s tonight. I think he and Blake are gonna be there.”

Brian looked up. “Dinner at Deb’s?”  
  


Justin smiled. “You have to go too.”

“Why?”

“Because you handed me my own business and you’re very sorry about it and the only way you know how to prove that is to show up at Deb's and get yelled at for not telling anyone I was in town.”

“Why do they always yell at me? Do they really think I run your life?”

“You like them to think that.”

“Fuck. I know.” Brian covered his face with his hands for a moment. “You’re right. We’re going to Deb's for dinner…but I can think of other ways to tell you how very sorry I am that I’ve contributed to your future immense wealth.”

Brian cocked and eyebrow and flattened Justin into the mattress. By the time they showered it was time to leave for Debbie’s.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

They could hear the noise the moment they stepped out of the car. Brian finished his cigarette and Justin looked like he was trying to decide something.

“What?”

“I’m just trying to figure out if it’s standard cacophony or if we’re about to be mid crisis.”

Brian shrugged and tossed his finished cigarette to the side. “Whatever it is, it’s not _our_ crisis.”

Justin nodded and Brian draped an arm over his shoulders. Justin wrapped an arm around Brian's waist and they both mentally steeled themselves for whatever was inside the gaudy kitschy home of the adopted mother of their entire clan.

They tried to slip in quietly. It worked…sort of. Everyone fell silent. Justin smiled and waved.“Hi.”

“Sunshine! When the fuck did you get into town? And why didn’t you tell me he was coming asshole?”

Justin and Brian shot each other a glance, smiled and extracted themselves so that Debbie could smother Justin for a few moments.

Brian rescued him before he blacked out. “Deb, give the kid some air.”

“Justin, I didn’t know you were coming home.”

Justin turned his attention to his mom and gave a slight shrug to Brian. They separated. Brian to talk to Michael, Justin to give his mea culpa to his mother. 

“Sorry mom. I had um…”

“Some sort of important business at the loft.”

“Let’s go with that.”

“You’re still coming in for Thanksgiving right?”

“As far as I know. If plans change I’ll tell you.”

“You look tired. Are you eating?”

”Mom…”

“Sorry, of course you’re eating. I’ll stop being your mother some day. Oh wait. No I won’t.”

Justin laughed. “It’s okay. I’m fine. Had some free time and came to visit Brian. And then we thought we’d branch out before I left.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Plan leaves tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Stop. I promise I’ll tell you the next time I’m in town.”

“It’s up to you. It’s just so lonely without you around.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “You suck at guilt mom. Maybe you should ask Debbie for some pointers.”

She laughed again. “Maybe I will.”

Justin pulled a beer out of the refrigerator and was cornered by Aaron. “You said not to tell anyone you were here.”

“And I meant it.”

“But then you go public?”

“Man can not live by takeout alone.”

“Pfft. Bored with him already.”

“Aaron, you know how you talk about shit you can’t begin to understand? You’re doing it again.”

“Whatever. He misses you. He’s glad you’re here.”

Justin gave him a look. “Duh.”

“Seriously, he gets mopey sometimes when you’re like really busy.”

“How the fuck do you know.”

“I’ve seen it. But then he usually picks a really violent game and kills something.”

“Well, that’s healthy.”

“Better than…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What.”

“Nothing. Just… he misses you. I can tell.”

Justin pulled Aaron outside and handed him a cigarette. “Talk.”

“Nothing.”

“Say nothing again, see what happens.”

“He goes to a lot of clubs.”

“So?”

“I just thought you guys were like a couple or something.”

Justin suddenly understood and laughed. “Aaron. Do you go out with him to make sure he’s not cheating on me?”

“What? I didn’t say he… I mean…you…”

Justin was laughing too hard to stop now. Brian joined them. He wrapped an arm around Justin and noticed that Aaron was bright red. “What’d you do now princess?”

Justin couldn’t stop laughing long enough to tell him.

“I swear Brian I didn’t say anything. I mean. I didn’t. I just said you missed him.”

Justin was still laughing. Brian did the only thing he could think of to stop him. He spun him around and kissed him. Pushing his tongue inside his mouth. Justin sighed into him. 

“Okay, now what’s so funny?”

“Half-breed has been keeping an eye on you so you don’t cheat on me.”

It was Brian's turn to laugh. “Well you know I’m incorrigible but you’d forgive me a slip now and then right?”

“I suppose. But only if you promise never ever to do it again.”

“Well, I won’t…um, unless you know, I can’t control myself.”

Aaron was staring at the two of them. “You know?” He glared accusingly at Justin.

“Aaron. You don’t know anything. And I’m not going to be the one who explains it to you. Go inside.”

“But he fucks other guys.”

“How many times to I have to say ‘duh’ to you today.”

“But… you’re a couple.”

“Who fuck other people.” Brian added.

“Oh holy shit you two are twisted.” Aaron stalked off throwing his hands in the air as if he had given up on both of them completely.

“I think we’re warping him.”

“I think he’s already warped.”

“He thinks you’d cheat on me.”

“I can’t. I’m trying to think of what I’d have to do that would constitute cheating and I don’t think even I’m that kinky.”

“Kink equals cheating? I’m in trouble. My leather daddy’s gonna be pissed.”

“Yeah, cause you’re that stupid.”

“Lately, apparently.”  
  
”Stop it.”

“Right, not supposed to be hating myself.”

“Are you still?”

“Not as much as I hate you.’

“Well good. Then we’re back to status quo.”

“Get your asses in here for dinner.”

“I think we’re being graciously called to the table.”

Michael and Justin were eating dessert in a corner plotting out the next issue of Rage. Ben and Hunter were arguing about his course schedule for the next semester at Allegheny community college. Ted and Blake were talking to Debbie and Emmett about some bullshit Brian didn’t care about and Jenn and Alicia were laughing like old girlfriends, probably comparing notes on Craig. Brian was very happy not to be privy to those shared details.

Aaron sat next to him. “I can’t believe you.”

“What?”

“You fuck around on my brother.”

“He made the rules I just follow them.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Aaron. This is not your business.”

“But he knows.”

“And again. Not your concern.”

“I’ll never understand the two of you.”

“Few will.”

“You’re twisted.”

“You’ve mentioned that.”

“Why doesn’t he just leave you and find someone normal?”

Brian stood up to get another beer. “Fuck off Aaron.”

Aaron was left sitting alone on the sofa and Brian noticed a lull in conversation around the table. He decided to talk to Ted about an accountant for Justin and then remembered. Fuck.

“Justin.”

“What?”

They were yelling across the room and everyone’s heads were following like a tennis match. “Can I ask Ted about accountants?”

Justin sighed. “Get numbers but I’m calling them.”

“Fine.”

He stared to talk to Ted and realized the room was once again silent. Michael spoke first. “What the fuck was that?”

“What?”

“He’s asking you permission?”

“What can I say, I’ve got him on a short leash.”

“Justin you can’t make Brian…”

“Michael. Are you really gonna go into the what Brian Kinney does and doesn’t do thing with me?”  


Michael’s mouth snapped shut. “You can get him to do fucking anything.”

Justin smiled “yeah I can. But see, I don’t abuse the privilege…that’s why it still works.”

“Opinions vary.” Michael muttered.

“Email me the new ideas Michael. I don’t have time for your bullshit.”

Michael put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I just… it’s weird. You’re not here most of the time and he’s like the old Brian…kinda. And then you’re back and he’s like this new Brian volume Two.”

“We’re twisted.”

“No shit.”

“So what were we talking about before the conversation predictably returned Brian?”

“Rage.”

“Oh yeah, that’s totally different than Brian.”

Michael laughed. “So I’m thinking in this next one rage is trying to teach JT how to use his new powers.”

“JT has new powers?”

“Yeah, it’s really cool. He’s met this other band of like sidekicks and they decide that with their powers combined they could be, you know…superheros.”

“But they fail and rage rescues them all?”

“Something like that.”

“Michael, you really need to stop stealing every plot from my arguments with Brian.”

“But those work best.”

Justin tilted his head, conceding the point. “So what powers did JT get?”

Michael launched into a monologue that bordered on squeeing geeker joy. Justin had some ideas for the storyboards and he had to admit, Michael was an idiot savant. He didn’t understand much about Justin and Brian’s relationship, but he did somehow manage to turn it all into a compelling graphic novel.

When they finally slipped away, Justin with a loaded bag of food to take back to New York with him Brian drove straight to the airport. “We paying for parking again?”

“Looks that way.”

“Fuck, Aaron’s funny.”

“You think it’s funny?”

“He wants to keep you from cheating on me. That’s funny.”

“Well, you know, he buys into society’s bullshit about what a relationship SHOULD be. Good thing neither of us do that.”

“Fuck you.”

Brian laughed. 

“Hey did you get a name of someone from Ted?”

“Yeah a couple…here.”

“Thanks.” Justin took the paper.

“So what should we name my new company?”

“We?”

“You started the whole thing. And now I have to incorporate. So yeah, what do you think it should be called?”

“Twink, Inc.”

“Wow…that plan to kill you is looking better and better.”

“You never did tell me the plan.”

“Because I might need it someday.”

“So I don’t even get a clue?”

“Nope.”

Brian lit a cigarette and offered one to Justin who took it. They drove in comfortable silence.

Parking cost another forty bucks but the fact that the seats in the new jeep were so versatile was greatly appreciated by them both.

  
~*~**~**~**~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

Justin slept for a few hours once he got home and called Brian to inform him that he _was_ in fact home safe and sound.

He went down to the coffee shop and Matt was there. 

“You’re back.”

“You’re surprised?”

“Last time you left it took you a week to come home.”

“That was about other bullshit…this was just about some R&R”

“Did you get any of either?”

“Actually yeah.”

“Good for you.”

“Very good for me.”

“So what the fuck’s going on?”

“Huh?”

“With you and what’s his name?”

“Brian? It’s complicated.”

“Do you know you say that every time anyone asks you about him.”

“Because it doesn’t get less complicated.”

“Someday you’re gonna have to tell me.”

“No…I’m not. Matt it would take hours… days… millennia for anyone to understand and truthfully, I’m really not interested in what anyone else understands.”

“All we understand is that you’re a nice guy and he’s a big question mark.”

“Who’d you fuck this weekend?”

“What?”

“Simple question matt. Who’d you fuck?”

“None of your business.”

“So why Brian yours?”

“Cause who I fucked doesn’t make a bit of difference and something was bugging you before you left.”

“Yeah. And I worked it out.”

“On half the guys at Scenic.”

“Whatever you want to think.”

“Just don’t get how it’s true love and all that bullshit if you’re fucking around on him.”

“You and my brother should get together and go bowling.”

“What?”

“Nothing, old movie reference. I’m tired of this. Matt, we’re friends right?”

“Yeah.”

“So can you trust me and not ask me to justify something that’s too complicated for anyone to comprehend, even us?”

“Us, you and Brian?”

“Yeah.”

“You two don’t know what the deal is?”

“Half the time we’re just… you know what, you should be a fucking therapist. Or a lawyer. I’m sick of this. Can I NOT talk about Brian for today.”

“Sure, no problem. If that’s what you really want.”

“It is.”

Justin's phone rang. “Yes?”

“I was gonna order that new program we talked about.”

“So?”

“So I need approval.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Order it.”

“You sure?”

“Fuck you.”

“Just checking.”  
  


“Bite me.”

“Working on the anger Sunshine?”

“Anything for you dear.”

He turned back to Matt. “Sorry.”

“‘S’okay. Hey Zoë got a piece in some rinky dink show, wanna go?”

“Sure what time?”

“I don’t know, say tennish?”

“See you then.”

Justin finished his coffee and headed back home to work. 

A few hours later the phone rang again. “Can I buy you a shirt?”

“What?”

“There’s this shirt. You’d look hot in it. Can I buy you a shirt?”

“Does it require ironing?”

“No, it’s a pullover.”

“Fine. Buy me a shirt.”

Justin hung up the phone and bit at his thumbnail he wasn’t sure whether Brian was being purposely annoying or not. He decided not to worry about it for the moment.

He was using the graphics program to design business cards and think up a name for his company when the phone rang again. “They’re having a sale on that coffee you like and I hate. If I buy it for the loft, do I still have to check with you?”

“Yes. And stop this.”

“Stop what?’

“Nothing. Buy the fucking coffee.”

He’d lost his train of thought and was trying to regroup when the phone rang again. “If I order lube in bulk is that for you or me?”

“Brian.”

“Okay, me, right. I don’t have to check on that.”

Justin wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or scream. He went with laughing for the moment as he worked again on the business card, which was somewhat difficult to do without a name for the company.

The phone rang “leather jacket.”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Now he was really laughing. Brian could be such an asshole. But he was good at following rules.

The day went on like that. Brian emailed him links with the simple text of a question mark.

Justin gave a simple Y or N answer to each one and tried to get on with his day.

Finally after about seven hours of the constant barrage of phone calls and emails…many with some really explicitly fascinating links to some seriously amazing toys Justin called him.

“I get it.”

“Get what?”

“You think about me.”

“I’m just trying to follow the rules.”

“Purchases over two hundred dollars.”

“Combined or per item?”

Justin had to think about that. “Two hundred per single item five hundred combined.”

“So if it stays below 199.99 I can buy it with no consequence.

“But I expect receipts. If you but two thousand dollars worth of stuff just at different registers…that’s cheating.”

“Yeah wouldn’t want Aaron on my ass for cheating.”

“Shut up, he’s retarded.”

“I know. You’re not really mad I hired him are you?”

“No…it’s probably for the best. And I have a feeling that Craig would end up in pieces if he tried to hurt Aaron in front of the entire construction crew.”

Brian laughed. “Kid flirts almost as well as you do. You’re probably right. Do you care that he’s at the loft?”

“No. Not really. I’m just worried about Craig. And if he sees Aaron at the loft all the time… you know what he’d gonna think.”

“He’d be wrong.”

“I know that, you know that…Aaron knows that…Craig, not the most rational man I’ve ever met, especially when it comes to you.”

“What’s he gonna do?”

“Um, accuse you of child molestation.”

“Which he can’t prove and Aaron would deny.”You denied it too if you’ll recall.”

“You so didn’t molest me. I was looking for it.”

“You were looking to be molested.”

“You were really good at it.”

“Still am.”

“I know.”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

Promise you won’t start banging your head against a wall?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“So what’s wrong?”

“Aaron’s here. Craig's hot on his heels.”

“Go. Don’t hit him.”

“Which one?”

“Either, but specifically Craig.”

“I’m calling Horvath tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“To find out what my options are.”

“Your options?”

“ _The_ options. Whatever. This has to stop.”

“Does Alicia know?”

“I don’t think so. Aaron doesn’t want to upset her.”

“You he’s willing to upset.”

“I never thought I was in love with the guy.”

“Great, now I’m nauseated.”

“I’m sorry, would you rather have a mental image of me fucking Craig.”

“Great…now we’re both nauseated.”

Brian laughed. I don’t know…he’s got that certain Taylor something.”

“Brian. You’re about to lose a certain Taylor something.”

“Sorry. Can’t help fucking with you.”

“Yes you can you just don’t want to.”

“Six of one…”

“Go get Craig away from Aaron.”

“Not a problem. Wait. One question.”

“Yes?”

“Light filtration system for the windows in your Pittsburgh studio.”

“Brian! That’s what all these fucking phone calls were about?”

“Well, Paul’s about to do the windows for the rest of the place and…”

“Fine…I already accepted the studio. You might as well put some fucking window treatment thing on it.”

“Just checking.”

“Yes, you’re a wonderful what the fuck ever boyfriend or something. Go rescue my half-breed and get in a pissing contest with my father. You know you want to.”

“I really do. Here, talk to Aaron.”

Justin heard a few raised voices and some shuffling.

“Hi.”

“What’s going on?”

“Brian’s doing that glaring intimidation thing.”

“Is it working?”

“I think dad’s gonna wet himself.”

“Good.”

“Brian gets off on this you know.”

“No, I actually know what he gets off on…but he does hate Craig.”

“So do I.”

“Probably best.”

“I wish he’d just go away.”

“We’re gonna work on that.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, we are…he’s an asshole.”

“Know what he said to me?”

“I told you not to talk to him.”

“I have to. If I try to walk away…”

“What?”  
  


“Nothing, it just makes him madder.”

“Aaron. The kids at school.”

“Yeah?”

“Are they the ones leaving the bruises?”

“What?”

“Brian said it was just bully stuff.”

“Brian’s an asshole. It’s none of your business.”

“So it’s him.”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

“NO!”

“Aaron…what the fuck.”

“Justin, it’s just some kids at school.”

“If you say so.”

“Here. Talk to Brian. You’re pissing me off and I have to go to work.”

“Your father is an asshole.”

“And he’s hitting Aaron.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s school bully bullshit. I think Craig's getting dangerous.”

“ _More_ dangerous.”

“Whatever.”

“What the fuck? Craig has no custody, so it’s not like social services can remove him from the house.”

“Call Horvath. Call Melanie if you have to find out what our options are.”

“He said it was just normal kids at school shit.”

“What did you say when people asked?”

There was silence on the other end. Justin knew they hadn’t been disconnected he could still hear the power tools and general construction sounds in the background. “Brian.”

“I’m a fucking idiot.” Justin barely heard it. He knew that tone. Fuck.

“Brian you’re not.”

“You realize I’m going to have to kill your father.”

“Don’t talk about it on an open line.”

“So you’re not saying no.”

“Fuck. Yes. I am. Don’t fucking kill Craig. You’re too pretty to go to jail.”

“I have to go Justin.”

“I know. Don’t do ANYTHING…. Just make the calls.”

“Okay.”

“Promise me Brian.”

……………………..

…………………….

“Brian.”

“He’s sleeping at the loft tonight.”

“Fine. I’ll call you both later.”

Brian hung up the phone. His hands were shaking. He wanted to grab Aaron and shake him for lying but more he wanted to shake himself for believing him. This was completely fucked. He’d lied to Justin. It was easier when he had no one to answer to but himself.

Justin hung up the phone. His hands were shaking. He knew Brian wasn’t okay. He knew this was fucked. He knew that he was keeping Aaron at the loft because he didn’t want to be alone tonight.

Justin wanted to head back to Pittsburgh. He wanted to sleep next to Brian and remind him that this wasn’t within his control. The whole world was not in his fucking control.

He knew there was nothing he could do there. He just wanted to be there. He pushed the thought away and walked away from the computer and the work he was doing. He started to grab some stuff for the laundry. He was emptying the pockets of the jeans he’d been wearing the night before he left. There was still some in the vial. He took a quick snort, knowing I was probably a bad fucking idea. But he felt better. More focused. He headed down to the basement to do a load of laundry and consider newer and more creative methods of killing Craig.


	21. Chapter 21

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty One**

* * *

Justin woke up with a headache. He stumbled to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and some aspirin. Matt was sprawled on the futon. He vaguely remembered going finishing his laundry and finding Matt waiting for him. They went to see Zoë’s show, or her piece. The rest of the artwork was crap. Zoë’s sculpture wasn’t even that good. But he’d found the whole thing funny at the time.

They’d ducked out after a couple of glasses of cheap champagne and headed to Torrid. It wasn’t Justin’s favorite club, a little too dingy, a little too skanky, but the beer was cheap and there were a couple of guys worth dancing with. 

Brian had called and he’d talked to him. Aaron was asleep and Brian seemed to be drunk, and morose. They’d talked for a while. 

He glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. He washed down the aspirin with half a bottle of water and went back to his room. He left the shades closed. It was dark and he liked it that way right now.

He called Brian. 

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You feeling any better?”

“Less drunk. You?”

“Still thinking I should have let you kill my dad.”

“Like you could have stopped me.”

“Brian.”

“It’s okay. I drove Aaron to school. I’m picking him up to take him to work. And I called Horvath. He said we need a lawyer.”

“Who do we use?’

“Called Mel, she recommended some dyke friend of hers. Specializes in alternative family abuse.”

“This isn’t an alternative family.”

“It is because Craig’s doesn’t have custody, but he is listed as the father on the birth certificate.”

“So what’s gonna happen?”

“Aaron's gonna have to admit it’s his dad. And Alicia has to know because he can’t file the restraining order without his mother. He’s still underage.”

“What if it had been his mother?”

“Then he becomes ward of the state or something.”

“That is seriously fucked.”

“This is seriously fucked.”

“You know it’s not your fault.”

“I know I didn’t hit him.”

“You know you couldn’t have stopped this.”

“Bullshit. I should have seen it. I should have known the little shit was lying.”

“Why? Did he ever make excuses?”

“No, he said thee were assholes at school. And I let it go.”

“Because we know assholes at school can do shit like that.”

“And worse.”

“Brian, we can’t lock him up and hope someday the worlds a nicer place.”

“We could try.”

“He’s a slippery motherfucker. He’d find a way out.”

Brian laughed a little. “Yeah, he would.”

“So do you want me to come back?”

“You need to be there. You’ve got a meeting in an hour.”

“And then I’m free for two weeks.”

“Free to live your life.”

“This is my life.”

“I’m okay. He’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m gonna make sure of it.”

“Not about Aaron. About you.”

“Justin. This isn’t about me.”

“Okay. I’ll be around. Call me.”

“Well if I see something that costs more than two hundred dollars.”

“Fuck you.”

“That’d be nice.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I have to go. I have a lunch meeting with your mom.”

“Why?”

“I want to ask her some more shit about Craig.”

“Fuck that, reschedule. I’ll be back there tomorrow.”

“No. And I’m sending you back by bus if you come.”

“You wouldn’t even spring for a plane ticket?”

“Not if I’m not gonna even get laid.”

“Christ. I’m such a whore.”

“I kind of like that about you. But no, you really aren’t. You need to be there, working on your new business and the stuff for the show.”

“I know. I just wish I could be in both places at once.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Sure you don’t want to give up your entire life and move to New York?”

“Sure you don’t want to give up yours?”

“Stalemate.”

“Never stale.”

Justin heard Matt calling for him. Brian heard it too. “Matt’s there?”

“He crashed here last night.”

Silence.

“On the futon. We went to torrid. Had a few too many. Some guy gave lousy head. Matt was really wasted. He crashed on the futon.”

“Justin, I fucking trust you.”

“You don’t trust Matt.”

“I trust about three people in the world. You’re one of them.”

“Fine. Tell Paul that I finished the…”

“No.”

“No?”  
  


“I’m not your messenger. You want to do business with Paul you tell him.”

“I hate when you’re rational.”

“I know.”

“Don’t upset my mother.”

“How would I know? She’s a better WASP than Lindsay.”

“That’s why I want to be there. I’d know.”

“I’m not sure I could upset her more than I have in the past.”

“Good point.”

“Tell her I said hi.”

“No, I’ll tell her you told her to fuck off.”

“I’m telling you to fuck off.”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“Me too.”

“Tell me what you find out.”

“Okay.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian met Jennifer at a place near her office.”

They made pleasantries until they ordered. Then Jennifer took his hand. He resisted the impulse to pull away. “What’s wrong?”

He did pull his hand away then and sat back, putting as much distance between them as possible. “Craig’s fucked up.”

“Brian I already told you I don’t have any sway over Craig anymore.”

“He’s hurting Aaron.”

“Physically?”

Brian nodded.

“Fucking asshole. Why are you telling _me_ this?”

“Couple reasons. I’ve gotta tell Alicia. You two seem tight. Thought you might help. And I’m worried about what he’s gonna do financially if he ends up with a bunch of legal shit. I don’t want Molly to get fucked out of going to college.”

“Brian, I can afford…”

“I’ll give her the same deal I did Justin. Well, actually she’d really have to pay me back. I never expect to see a cent from him. And if she doesn’t finish I’ll charge double.”

Jennifer laughed. “Brian. I can afford to send her anywhere she wants to go…well, within reason but trust me; I’ve seen her grades. She’s a little too into other things to get into Dartmouth.”

“You sure?”

“I’ll be fine without his child support if it comes to that. I was only gonna have it for another couple of years anyway.”

“So Alicia.”

“You’re sure she doesn’t know?”

“Has she said anything to you?”

“No Brian, she hasn’t but it’s not the kind of thing we’d share.”

“What is?”

Jennifer called the waiter over and ordered a vodka tonic. “It’s really none of your business.”

“How the fuck do I tell her this?”

“Aaron has to tell her.”

“He hasn’t told me.”

“Then how are you so sure.”

“He told Justin.”

“Then he’s told you. He’s a kid. He’s not stupid. He knows that anything he tells Justin gets back to you.”

“He actually… I’m not sure. Aaron has to… fuck. Can I just kill Craig?”

Jennifer sipped at her drink. And then munched on a breadstick. She seemed to be considering her options. “It won’t solve the problem.”

“Sure it will. Craig can’t hurt anyone from a box buried six feet underground.”

“Neither can Jack.”

Brian flinched. “Not about him.”

“Okay. But you still can’t kill him and you know it. I’ll go with you to talk to Alicia if you want.”

“Can’t you just do it and let me know how it goes?”

Their food arrived and they were silent for a few moments.

“I can’t do that Brian. And you know it as well as I do. And really you shouldn’t be the one doing this either.”

“Well, Justin’s out of town.”

“No, not Justin. He’s got enough to deal with.”

“Meaning me.”

“No. I think actually you’re more a help than a hindrance these days.”

“Opinions vary.”

“I hear Babylon is coming along nicely.”

Brian wasn’t blind to the change of subject but he let it go for the moment.

“Justin’s plans were pretty amazing.”

“You know, the loft below yours is for sale.”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Just thought I’d mention it. I have the listing. You were smart to buy when you did. And not to sell last year.”

“Brilliant.”

“You want to put a bid in on it?”

“I don’t need more space.”

“Is Gus coming for Christmas?”

“Yeah, for a week or two.”

“Where’s he gonna sleep?”

Brian shrugged. 

“He’s five years old. Little pitchers, big ears…”

“Jenn, do you really think I’d do anything with my son in the loft?”

“No. But I know Justin’s coming in for the holidays as well, at least for a weekend.”

“And you think I can’t go two days without fucking your son?”

“I think you can when you’re in separate cities.”

Brian missed when Jennifer used to get flummoxed at the concept. Now she seemed amused by it at best. When she was at her worst she had a tendency to try to flummox Brian. Sometimes it worked, but only because she was his whatthefuckever in-law. 

“Mother Taylor.”

“They’re selling cheap Brian. They broke up and they’re both trying to stiff each other on the equity.”

“Shel and Mort broke up?”

“You know them?”

“They’ve lived in space under mine for nine years. We’ve met. They seemed so right for each other. Both accountants…”

Jennifer laughed. “Sheldon is a periodontist, and Morton restores old books.”

“Like I said, accountants.”

“Brian. Do you want to make an offer on the place?”

“What are they asking?”

“They’re asking four fifty. They’ll take four.”

“That’s insane, the place is worth twice that.”

“Your place is worth twice that. They didn’t go as high end as you did on the upgrades, but it’s still pretty nice. And yes. I could get five for it, but they’re looking to sell fast.”

“Lowball them. Offer them three fifty.”

“You’re going to profit from their petty money squabbles?”

“Is it your commission, your listing?”

“Yes.”

“Then so are you.”

Jennifer smiled. “The commission will go toward Molly’s college fund.”

“See, so it all works out. And you’ll talk to Alicia.”

“Fuck no.”

“Please?”

“I’m sorry, fuck no. Thank you.”

Brian laughed. I could get Horvath to tell her.”

“Yes because it will be less traumatic with a police officer at her door.”

“So it has to be Aaron.”

“If it were I. Yes. I’d want Justin to tell me.”

“Then what would you do?”

“Call you and give you the go ahead to kill him.”

Brian laughed. “You just need to ask. FUCK!”

“What?”

“Don’t’ make an offer yet. I have to ask Justin.”

“What’s that about?”

“Your son is twisted.”

“I’ve known that since he was five and thought his skin would look better blue.”

Brian just stared at her.

“He never told you that? He said that since everyone said he had great blue eyes he decided at five he wanted blue skin too. He dumped everything blue he could find into the tub…including some calligraphy ink, and two bottles of my mother’s hair dye and the stuff I used to um…touch up my roots.

Brian was laughing now. So how blue did he turn?

“Months Brian. For MONTHS I was still finding little blue spots. We had to have the tub refinished. Craig was pissed.”

“And you?”

“I was just worried about his skin. He ended up allergic to something and needing a steroid shot. And then months of finding blue between his fingers, or on the back of his knee.”

“The kid _is_ twisted. He wanted to be a smurf.”

That’s what Craig called him for a year 'til I made him stop.

“That’s probably a good thing.”

“Better than the names he has for him now.”

“That’s true.”

The check came and Jennifer picked up the tab. “Call Justin and ask him. This was a business lunch.”

Brian nodded and allowed her to kiss his cheek before he left.

He called Justin.

“What did my mom say?”

“That you’re a freak who tried to dye yourself blue.”

“Oh fucking Christ. I thought maybe I could keep that one from you.”

“I don’t know… you look hot in blue.”

“I was five.”

“Christ, Gus is five. Is he gonna do something that fucking stupid?”

“Probably. But he’s not allergic to everything… so he won’t almost die.”

“Hey, do you realize this really does make you allergic to certain shades of blue?”

“Fuck you.”

“I will but listen, Shel and Mort broke up.”

“The accountants who live downstairs from you.”

Brian laughed. “I’m not sure they’re actually accountants.”

“You said they were.”

“How the fuck would I know? I barely speak to them.”

“Then why are we talking about them now?”

“They’re selling their place.”

“And?”

“And I’m not supposed to make major purchasing decisions without you.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s what I heard.”

“You’re not supposed to buy things for ME without asking.”

“Justin, the loft is your home too. If I buy this it’s as much for you as it is for me. Should I make an offer?”

“Can you afford it?”

“Yeah, really not the issue.”

“Make the offer. But…”

“I know, doesn’t mean you’re moving back, you get to design the space and you want a bathtub.”

Justin smiled and Brian could hear it over the phone. “A big bathtub.”

“Okay, so I’ll tell your mother to put in the offer.”

“Yeah. If they’re breaking up they’re gonna be in a hurry, lowball them.”

Brian laughed. “Christ I love you.”

“What was that for?”

“You’re mercenary. It’s cute.”

“I’m practical. It’s business. Oh and I figured out what I’m calling my company.”

“Mm hmm?”  


“Taylormade graphic and designs.”

“I like it. Taylor made.”

“So if you buy the new space when can you send me dimensions? I want to figure out where to put in a room for Gus.”

“And that big tub.”

“And walls. The new place needs walls.”

“Why?”

Because there’s something to be said for being able to shut a fucking door and have some privacy.”

“I think Shel an Mort had a less open floor plan to start.”

“I want to start working on this.”

“I don’t own it yet.”

“You will.”

“You’re so sure.”

You always get what you want.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Whatever. Are you on your way to pick up Aaron? What else did my mother have to say?”

Brian lit a cigarette and exhaled into the headset. 

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“It sounds weird when you blow into the headset.”

“You think the sound of my blowing is weird?”

“Stop making lame sexual innuendos to avoid the topic.”

“Aaron has to tell Alicia.”

“No shit.”

“What exactly did he tell you?”

“Same thing he told you. Denying things too fucking adamantly for my liking.”

“Gonna offer again.”

“Don’t.”

“So I’ll get him to tell me.”

“And then you’ll get him to tell her.”

“And then we’ll meet with the lawyer.”

“I wish I were there.”

“We covered this.”

“I know.”

“Taylormade designs. I like it.”

“It’ll do.”

“I’m at the school.”

“Is Craig there?”

“Hope so.”

“Brian.”

“What?”

“Get him to the worksite. Talk to him after work. Don’t fuck with my father.”

“I’ll call you once I know something.”  
  


“Okay.”

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Don’t want to make a huge issue of this.”

“Brian.”

“But just know that I’m not in favor of you being a crystal queen.”

“Go get Aaron.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Aaron slid into the car, fished a cigarette out of Brian’s pack and lit it as he pulled off. Brian glared at him. “Christ, can’t you wait until we’re off school grounds?”

“Why?”

“So I don’t get arrested. Put your seatbelt on.”

“Sheesh.”

“Shut up.”

“You didn’t have to come get me.”

“Okay.”

“I didn’t have to sleep there last night.”

“It was late. But we finally beat level 14”  
  


“The all weapons cheat code helped.”

“Yeah it did.”

“It’s not Craig.”

“Yeah it is.”

“Brian. I…”

“Stop lying about it.”

“I just…”

“Are you protecting him?”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Because he’s your father.”

“Some father.”

“No shit. How often?”

“It’s not Craig.”

“Then who?”  
  


“No one. Kids at school.”

“You’re lying.”

Brian looked over. Aaron seemed to be close to tears. He pinched the bridge of his nose and fought back the urge to kill Craig a little bit harder than he had planned. “Call your brother.”

“Why?”  
  


“Just do it.”

Aaron dialed Justin's number while Brian made a quick phone call to get Ted to cover for him at the site if Paul called. He called Paul himself to tell him they’d be without Aaron or himself for the day.

“That guy still lurking around him?”

“What?”

“That guy that you were glaring at yesterday. He’s a fucking perv. Always hanging around Aaron. Kids smart, usually stays away from him.”

“And you didn’t do anything.”

“What the fuck was I supposed to do?”

Brian sighed. “Nothing I guess. Is he there now?”

“No. At least I don’t think so.”

“If you see him…scare the shit out of him.”

“Not a problem. Should I call the cops?”

“No. He’s not a perv. Well, maybe he is, but not the way you mean.”

“What’s he want with the kid?”

“I’ll figure it out. It’s not cloak and dagger shit. It’s his father.”

“Fuck, Brian, you can’t go fucking around with the kid’s dad.”

“Not planning to. Just keep him off the site. Away from the club.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Oh tell Justin…”

“No.”

“What?”

“It’s his business not mine. If you need to talk to him about another project you call him.”

“Okay man whatever.”

“Bye Paul.”

Brian heard Aaron talking in low tones to Justin. He could pretty much guess the conversation but he’d let Aaron tell him in his own time…as long as his own time was today.

Aaron handed the phone to Brian who took off his earpiece so he could hear Justin on Aaron's phone.

“Well?”

“I was right, he doesn’t want to tell you.”

“He will.”

“I know. Be nice.”

“To whom?”

“For right now… everyone.”

“Okay.”

“And one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“You ever drop something like that crystal queen comment on me when you know we can’t talk about it right then and I will go through with my plans and kill you painfully you asshole.”

“Just wanted you to have time to get your story straight before I talked to you again.”

“I wasn’t’ tweaked last night.”

“Liar.”

“Vaguely tweaked.”

“Thought so.”

“Not a crystal queen.”

“Hope not.”

“Can we drop the conversation now?”

“For the moment.”

“For good.”

“Sure. Stop it.”

“I have.”

“Good.”

“You’re the hypocrite you know.”

“I’m not allergic to some shades of blue.”

“Why a I in love with an asshole?”

“Because you’re smart enough to know that everyone’s an asshole and at least I’m honest about it?”

“Oh yeah, that.”

“Call you tonight.”

“I know.”

He closed the phone and handed it back to Aaron as they pulled in to park by the loft. “I have to go to work.”

“You have the day off.”

“Brian.”

“With pay if you want, but I need to get through level fifteen and you have the grenade launcher and the cheat codes.”

“Fine. But I’m not telling you anything.”

“About what?”

“You really think I’m as blonde as my brother.”

“Your brother is pretty fucking smart.”

“Then what’s he doing with you?”

“He’s got his blind spots.”

Aaron shook his head. “Whatever let’s go. And I want Chinese not Thai food that shit’s too spicy.”

“Baby.”

“Old man.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you.”

And they bickered in the elevator like eleven year olds until Brian got them each a beer from the fridge and called and placed the order for lunch, or dinner or what the fuck ever. He wasn’t hungry, but Aaron still ate like a sixteen-year-old boy.

They played Halo 2 while Brian tried to figure out how to get Aaron to talk. He glances over at him and saw a bruise on his wrist. He paused the game.

“That’s new.”

“No it isn’t”

“Aaron, just tell me what the fuck’s going on.”

“Nothing.”

“Stop fucking lying.”

“If I tell you it’s Craig you’re gonna kill him.”

“So?”

“So he’s tried to kill you before.”

“Justin told you about that?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think he was trying to kill me.”

“This time he would. And you don’t actually have it in you to kill someone. He might.”

“So it is him.”

Aaron was quiet. “Yeah.”

“You have to tell your mom.”

Aaron looked up. He was scared. “Why?”

“Because there’s some legal bullshit we can do to keep him away from you but your mother has to sign the papers too. You’re not eighteen yet.”

“Wish I was.”

“That would make this a little easier.”

“Why can’t you sign the stuff?”

“Because I’m nothing to you.”

“You’re my sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester in-law.”

“Yeah, they don’t have a spot for that on those forms. Notaries don’t take that title as legally binding.”

“I can’t tell her.”

“Why not?”

“She’ll tell him to stay away.”

“That’s good.”

“He won’t help her financially. He’s still doing that cause he thinks that then he has some say.”

“Money doesn’t give him a right to do this.”

“She needs that money Brian.”

“He can be legally forced to give it to her.”

“He can?”

“Yeah, he’s listed on your birth certificate. She can get child support.”

“But he’d stop talking to her.”

“Good.”

“I think she still likes him.”

“And you’re willing to put up with his bullshit to make her happy?”

“I guess.”

“You think she’d be willing to put up with it?”

“No. She’d be pissed.”

“Aaron.”

“Brian this is way more complicated than you think.”

“Why?”

“Cause you don’t have to worry about money and Justin loves you and you’re not alone and lonely all the time.”

Brian thought he might scream. He was not in the mood to have the same conversation with Aaron that he’d just had with Justin.”

“Let your mom worry about her own happiness.”

“It doesn’t work that way. We’re a team. We work together.”

“You and your mom?”

“Yeah, it’s always been just the two of us.”

“What would you do if he was hurting her?”

“Kill him.”

“So as a team… tell her what you’re both up against.”

“Brian…”

“No shit, you don’t’ want to. Guess what. Life is full of shit you have to do even if you don’t want to.”

“Bullshit. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want?”

Brian looked at him. Really looked at him. “Christ. You’re such a fucking kid.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re gonna tell your mother.”

“It’s gonna hurt her.”

Brian gently pulled the back of Aaron's shirt up and saw a few healing bruises. “This is gonna hurt her more.”

Aaron pulled the shirt down quickly. “Get off me you perv.”

“Aaron…”

“I mean it.” Aaron was pacing now and Brian considered handing him a cigarette and reminding him not to throw anything. He really was Justin’s fucking little brother.

“Aaron. Calm the fuck down. I’ll go with you if you want.”

“No I can do it myself.”

“Rephrase. I’ll go with you to make sure you tell her.”

“You suck.”

“Expertly.”

“You’re a twisted freak.”

“Part of my charm.”

“Do I have to tell her tonight?”

“No. You can wait 'til tomorrow. I’ll drive you home after work. But I’m picking you up from school tomorrow.”

Aaron was about to say something when the buzzer announced that their food had arrived. 

They didn’t talk about it again that day. But Justin was relieved to hear progress was getting made and Brian made an appointment with the lawyer Melanie had recommended.

None of them slept particularly well that night.


	22. Chapter 22

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

* * *

Alicia's POV

It’s late. I’ve been sitting here for hours. Aaron’s asleep I think. I don’t remember much. I remember feeling sick. I remember seeing Aaron's back. I remember quietly excusing myself and vomiting before coming back to find out what it all meant.

Brian was calm. Quiet. He said he’d help. I pour myself another drink and try to figure out what to do now. A lawyer. Brian says we have an appointment tomorrow. WE? When did he get this involved?

I know Aaron was working for him. I know Aaron idolizes him. What I don’t know is how Brian knew before I did. Why he was here to help me. Why he cares at all.

I’ve picked up a few things about his relationship with Justin while attending those family dinners Debbie has. But then I also know what I saw. Two people who genuinely care about each other. It’s clear. They are comfortable with one another, and comfortable with Aaron.

Why am I thinking about them? Brian wanted to help. He helped. But now what do I do. What do I do with this rage? How the hell could Craig hurt Aaron like that? The image of his bruises flash in front of me when I close my eyes. I try to calm down and realize that it’s no use. 

I check and Aaron’s asleep in bed. I grab my keys. 

He answers the door. He seems surprised to see me. Well he should be. I look at him. In my head I can still see the bruises he left when he pushed Aaron into something to keep him from moving while he “talked” to him. I can still see the marks on Aaron’s wrist from his grip when he tried to keep Aaron from running away so he could “explain” something. I see red.

I push at his chest with both hands and he stumbles backwards.

“You bastard. How could you hurt our son?” I know I’m crying. I know I’m yelling. I know I seem hysterical, maybe I am. I don’t care… he had no right. No right to hurt Aaron. I flash on his face. So satisfied as he stepped on Justin’s hand. I think of him feeling that way when he’s hurting Aaron and I push him again. He stumbles backwards against the wall and I’m screaming like a fishwife and probably not making any sense but I am too angry to worry about that.

He grabs my wrist and I can’t move it. He’s pushing me away. His voice is calm. I used to love the way he could calm me when I was upset about something. Now I realize he’s just a control freak. He’s a bully. I try to twist free of him but he’s still talking and while he’s still talking there’s no point in thinking about doing anything but listen to him. In his head, he’s completely right. In his head, we’re the irrational ones.

“Alicia, he was with that…Brian. That freak. He was going to hurt him.”

“He didn’t hurt him. YOU DID!”

“Alicia.” He keeps saying my name, I know that means he’s in sales pitch mode. He better shut up soon or I’m not going to be able to keep from ripping his tongue out of his head.

“Alicia. He was in danger.” That’s when I lose it. In danger? From whom? The man who gave him a job? The man who is willing to put up his own money to pay a lawyer to make sure Craig never hurts him again? The men who show a kind of love to each other that Craig has never shown towards me? I pull my arm back then to hit him but he pushes me away before I can land the first blow. His elbow cracks me in the side of the face as I turn. I taste copper. I’ve cut the inside of my mouth on my teeth.

I can’t win. Not in a physical fight. Not against him. I don’t know if he meant to hurt me or if he was just defending himself. All I know is that I will keep that appointment with the lawyer tomorrow and I will make sure he pays for hurting Aaron.

When I’m in my car I can’t get the key in the ignition. My hands are shaking and I realize I was probably too drunk to drive here in the first place. I touch my lip and feel where it too got slammed into my tooth.

I’m crying. I make a phone call. I don’t know what else to do. Who else to call.

Jennifer is there in ten minutes. It feels like an hour. She pulls me out of my car and locks it. I’m too tired, and too numb to know what else to do. I’m leaning on her as I climb into her car. 

We’re sitting at my kitchen table. I’ve washed my face and she’s handing me an ice pack. I wonder if I’ll have a black eye.

She pours us both vodka neat and clinks our glasses as I sip mine slowly and she downs hers in a single swallow.

She doesn’t ask what happened she seems to know. 

“I have an appointment with a lawyer tomorrow.” I start.

She nods. 

“How much _do_ you know?”

She fills me in after swallowing another double.

“Why is Brian so involved?”

She seems to find the question amusing. I have no idea why. “Brian is… Brian. Once he cares about someone…he’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Aaron is Justin’s brother.”

“So he’s doing this for Justin?”

“No.” Jennifer seems to consider it for a second. “Not entirely for Justin. He’s doing it for a lot of reasons but I think he really cares what happens to your son.”

“Should I be worried?” I hate that I have to think that. But too much of what Craig has said for all these years is still with me. I don’t want ANYONE to hurt Aaron. 

“No. Alicia, Brian won’t hurt Aaron.”

“But he’s hurt Justin.”

“Only because they’re in love. And he’d never hurt Justin physically. He’d never do anything to hurt him on purpose at this point.”

I want to ask her what she means by “at this point” but I’m too tired and too drunk and too worried about Aaron, and Craig, and myself to worry about Brian’s obviously complicated relationship with Justin. 

“I can trust him?”

“Yes. That’s the most important thing to remember. Brian is a lot of things, and you’ll hear some nasty rumors, but he’s always honest. Always upfront about things and he has no patience for people hurting the ones he cares about.”

“What do I do Jennifer? This is…”

She puts a hand on mine and I want to cry again. “I know.” She says. “It’s shocking. You love your child so much, and you assume that his father does too…and then you see something ugly.”

I nod…she really does understand. “Is that why you left him?”

She shakes her head. “There were so many reasons. And you know that. You’ve known him for quite a bit of my marriage.”

I blush but she smiles. “It’s okay. It wasn’t you. It wasn’t the way he treated Justin. It wasn’t any one thing it was a lot of things. I think in his mind I chose Justin over him. And I think if I had been forced to make that choice, that’s exactly what I would have done. He made the choice. He couldn’t accept our son for who he had always been. And he couldn’t accept whom he chose to be with. He checked out long before I left.”

I nod now. It hurts to talk and Jennifer seems to sense this. She rummages through her purse and gives me a couple of aspirin. I take them with the vodka. “Do you think I’ll have a black eye?”

She laughs. “Well if you do, the lawyer will have an even better case.” 

I laugh too. It’s not funny, not really at all, but this entire day has been too stressful and too emotional and I’ve had a lot of vodka.

Aaron comes stumbling down the steps we must have woken him. He’s wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants but no shirt. I see Jennifer wince at the healing bruises on his chest. I see her do it again when he reaches for a bottle of water in the refrigerator and she sees his back.

He sits at the table and suddenly seems to be awake. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I fell into your father.”

He swallows the rest of my drink before I have time to scold him. I look at Jenn and she shrugs. He’s cursing and pacing and I want to say something but I think of him when he was seven and he was angry about something trivial, like what was for dinner. He would do the same thing. Walk back and forth mumbling. I want to tell him it’s all right. I want to say something soft and caring but instead I laugh.

And I can’t stop and neither can Jennifer and Aaron seems to be infuriated with the both of us as he stomps upstairs.

“He’s a lot like his brother.” Jennifer laughs.

I do too, because I can only hope she’s right. His brother seems to be a good man. And his brother’s partner seems to be one as well.

~**~**~**~**~**~** ~**~***~**~*~**~*~*~*

Brian was exhausted. Alicia didn’t take the news well, but who would. He called Justin on his way back to the loft.

“How’d it go?”

“It went.”

“What did she say?”

“Not much. She’s upset.”

“No shit.”

“We’re meeting with the lawyer tomorrow.”

“That’s good.”

“I put the bid in on the place downstairs we’ll know soon.”

“That’s good too.”

They were both quiet for a few moments. 

“Where are you headed now?”

“Back home. Figured I could use a drama free evening.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I had a lot less drama in my life before.”

“No you didn’t”

“I really did.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Yeah, it’s all your fault.”

“Well, being a drama princess, it follows me.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Brian…”

Brian sighed. “I’m tired. I’m not mad. I’m not planning on ditching your ass. I’m not going to have one of those…what do you call them…moments of self-loathing. I’m going home. I’m taking a shower. I’m getting stoned. I’m going to bed.”

“You should go out. Get drunk. Get laid. You need it.”

“Not worth the effort tonight. Ask me again tomorrow. What’s on your agenda for the evening?”

“Matt wants to check out a place he heard about. After hours club…which makes no sense because there are no hours in New York.”

“So just some underground dive with bad lighting and a lot of pretty boys rolling on E.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Don’t forget to…”

“Shut up. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Been dealing with a Taylor twink. Forgot you weren’t one.”

“This gonna be an issue every time we talk?”

“No.”

“Good. Call me tomorrow. I’m gonna try to get a few hours of sleep before Matt and I leave.”

“Bye.”

Justin hung up the phone and threw it on the bed next to him. They weren’t planning on leaving 'til after one am and it was only nine thirty. He could get a couple hours of sleep and still have time for a shower. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

Brian picked up Aaron from school. Aaron didn’t speak once during the ride. Brian knew he was nervous but he had no idea what to say. He wasn’t sure there was anything to say. He let him smoke in peace. 

They met Alicia in the lobby. The lawyer they were meeting had offices a few floors above her own boss’s office. If all went as planned she could be back to work in an hour. 

Brian stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. Aaron was thrown as well. His mother had left before he did this morning. He hadn’t had a chance to really appreciate the damage.

Brian spoke first. “What the hell happened?”

Alicia sighed and put a hand to her cheek. She knew it looked bad, even with the makeup. “It’s a long story and I’m sure I’ll have to recount it to the lawyer. Can we just do it then?”

“Craig?”

“Brian I appreciate your help with Aaron but I’m okay.”

“Did he come there last night?” Brian was not about to be swayed. His hands were pushed into his coat pockets but only to hide the fact that he couldn’t seem to unclench his fists. 

“No. It’s a long story.”

Aaron was standing next to his mother now. “We don’t have to do this mom. We can just go home.”

Brian was about to disagree when Alicia beat him to it. “We do Aaron. For you. We have to do this. I’m fine sweetie. I told you last night… it was an accident.”

Brian combed his fingers through his hair. “I’m going out to have a cigarette. I’ll meet you up there in a couple of minutes.”

Alicia nodded and she took Aaron's hand as they walked to the elevators. 

Brian lit his cigarette and tried to get his own emotions under control. He was doing a lousy job of it but by the time he was let into the lawyer’s private office he looked calm. Anyone who knew him would have been scared. Aaron and Alicia didn’t know him well enough to know how dangerous his calm blank expression was. 

He listened patiently while Alicia went through everything. He didn’t even attempt to help her when the lawyer seemed confused as to why Brian was there at all. He shrugged and smiled slightly. And eventually the lawyer seemed to understand the circuitous relationship between the three people sitting across her desk.

They signed. An assistant who was also a notary came in and they sighed a few more things. Brian wrote a check and eventually they all got out of there.

The lawyer would file the appropriate papers. A temporary restraining order would be issued. It would be followed up with a longer term one. 

Once they were out of the office Brian sent Aaron home with his mother and headed back to KinnetiK. He buried himself in art boards and client proposals for the rest of the afternoon. He needed to focus on something other than what he was feeling. 

Jennifer called at six to tell him that Shel and Mort had accepted the offer. He had Ted write a check for the down payment and make arrangements for a mortgage. He called Justin.

“We got it.”

“What exactly did we get?’

“Shel and Mort’s place.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, if all goes well we close in two weeks. Which means we may actually have a room for Gus by the time he comes. If we put off the major construction until after Christmas.”

“But…”

“Stop pouting. We can’t live in a construction zone. We’ll get the staircase put in quickly and the rest will be done after Christmas. By then Babylon will be done and maybe I can rope Paul into…”

“No.”

“No?”

“Paul’s booked solid 'til July.”

“Bullshit.”

“Word’s spreading fast.”

“That’s good.”

“For me. You’re gonna have to find someone else to put in the staircase.”

“I gave you the fucking business and you’re stealing my best contractor?”

“Not stealing…working with him to achieve my goal of disgustingly obscene amounts of wealth so I can take over the world.”

“Didn’t know you’d changed plans.”

“I’m going to become so filthy rich not bathtub in the world will be big enough.”

“Good. Then you pay for the new space.”

“I said GOING to…didn’t say I was yet.”

“At least you have a plan.”

“How did the meeting with the lawyer go?”

“Legally they’re safe, and she’s filing for scheduled child support as well.”

“You’re not happy.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Brian.”

“Justin let it go.”

“When do we get the keys to the place?’

“Assuming it passes inspection…which it will since I’d know if they had bugs, mold or structural damage, we should be able to get into the place to start planning on Saturday.”

“We?”

“You’ve got some free time right? Thought you’d get a better idea of what it looks like if you came for a couple days.”

“Oh look, I just got an email from Cynthia with my flight info.”

“Did you? Oh, was I supposed to ask first?”

“Yes, but I’ll let it go this time.”

“So gracious today.”

“I’m in a good mood, we’re getting a bathtub.”

“Anything to make you happy.”

“I wish.”

Brian was about to say something abut rules and costs and their past stupid argument but decided against it. “When do you have to be back?”

“I’m not even there yet and you’re trying to get rid of me?”

“No I was just thinking maybe we could go away.”

“Huh?”

“Away. As in, not New York, not Pittsburgh. Weekend of warmth. Palm springs, south beach, Cabo…”

“Really?”

“If it’s not too sugar daddy like.”

“It’s totally sugar daddy like.”

“Well then we can’t”

“Who says?”

“You.”

“Can I be a hypocrite just this once?”

Brian laughed. “I doubt it will be just this once but yes. You can be a hypocrite. I’ll have Cyn book something.”

“Brian. You know you promoted Cynthia and you have a perfectly good assistant to make travel arrangements for you.”

“Cyn’s are better.”

Justin laughed. How the fuck can one confirmation number on Liberty Air are better than another?”

“I don’t know. She does this thing where everything works. What’s her name doesn’t.”

“Samantha. Her name is Samantha and you know it, and has she ever booked travel for you that didn’t ‘work’?”

“No but I’m not willing to risk it.”

“But she books your business trips.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So you’re superstitious.”

“What?”

“You think if Cyn doesn’t book the trip we won’t take it.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I agree.”

“Then why did you say it?”

“Because it’s true.”

“It’s not superstition you idiot. Cynthia’s better at it. She’s got this ‘don’t’ fuck with me’ voice that makes it sound like she’s being your best friend and then… 

You know what. I don’t have to explain this to you. Cynthia makes all personal travel plans. I’ll put it in her contract and pay her a fucking bonus if you’ll shut up about it.”

Justin was laughing too hard to reply for a minute. When he stopped he lit a cigarette. “You’re a freak you know.”

Brian smiled, “so are you.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah.”

Brian hung up the phone and lit a cigarette. He had no idea how just rambling with Justin made him feel better but it did. And hearing him laugh, even though he _was_ laughing AT him was still good. 

He called Cyn’s extension and gave her the dates and locations, told her to book something. He trusted her. That’s the part Justin didn’t get. It wasn’t superstition. Cyn was just better at knowing what he’d like and what Justin would like and making sure it was all there when the got there.

And she didn’t have issues with little things like making sure the room was already stocked with the right lube and condoms. She just did that automatically. It was why Samantha was fine for overnight business travel but for the important stuff, he trusted Cynthia.


	23. Chapter 23

Brothers Keeper 23

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

* * *

On Friday Brian was waiting for Justin when he got off the plane. Justin walked straight towards him smiling. 

“Your plane is late.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s all your fault.”

“Fuck you.”

“Do you have luggage?”

“Yeah, I had to pack for our vacation.”

“We leave Thursday, get back Sunday night.”

“Someplace warm?”

“Warm and drama free.”

“You look tired.”

“Late night last night.”

“Was he any good?”

“Barely worth mentioning.”

Brian waited impatiently for Justin’s luggage to appear. He was standing behind him arms wrapped around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. “Why the fuck couldn’t you just have bought new stuff once you were here?”

“Because that’s insane.”

“More insane than waiting here for your luggage when we could be naked already?”

“Pfft, like you’re gonna take the time to get _all_ my clothes off.”

“Why even take the time to get out of the airport?”

Justin turned around and pushed himself up on his toes. He pulled Brian’s head towards him and kissed him hard. “Patience is a virtue.” He whispered into his ear.

“Yeah, and you’re so fucking virtuous.”

“I could be.”

“Fuck that.”

“Brilliant point.”

“Is that your bag?” Brian pointed at a neon green suitcase coming out of the chute.

“Yes. I bought it just to embarrass you.”

“Let’s just take that one, what’s the difference?”

“Brian…”

Brian stopped talking and kissed him again. Some business travelers were glaring at them and Brian raised an eyebrow and moved his hand down to Justin’s ass. Justin leaned into him, aware and uncaring of the people who might not be interested in this public display. Right now he didn’t fucking care. He just wanted Brian. He was worried. There was no way Brian was okay with what was going on. But he was here… and whatever Brian needed to get through this…they’d do.

His suitcase finally appeared and he grabbed it. Brian took it from him, and slung an arm over his shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

They walked to the car in comfortable silence.

“Not the ‘vette.”

“Knew you’d have luggage. Really no room in the ‘vette.”

“You just wanted to get your money’s worth for the parking.”

Brian loaded Justin's luggage into the back and then put his hands on Justin’s waist, maneuvering him 'til he was sitting on the back bumper. He pushed Justin backwards and crawled over him. “Maybe.”

“Maybe? Brian you’ve already put the seats down.”

“Brian pulled the rear hatch closed. “Are you complaining?”

Justin moaned a little as Brian reached under his shirt and stroked his nipples with his thumbs. “Not even a little.”

“Then shut up.”

“Then fuck me.”

Brian removed Justin’s shirt entirely, and then moved his hands to his pants. “Velcro, handy.”

“I know who I’m dealing with here.”

Brian pulled the khaki’s off him quickly. He moved his mouth down to suck his already appreciative cock. “Commando…good choice.”

“I’m not new at this.” Justin said, his voice catching a little as Brian’s mouth worked its way down to his thighs.

Justin threw his head back and Brian threw Justin's legs over his shoulders as his tongue flicked its way from his balls to his tight pink hole. Justin gasped. He let himself savor the moment of amazement that often happened when they’d been apart. His body should be used to this. Why was it still so powerful? But he didn’t have time to think about it for long. Or think about anything for long. Brian was licking and sucking at his inner thighs while his fingers were working their spit-slicked way inside him.

He shifted to give Brian better access and moaned when he felt those long fingers plunge deeply into him. Brian’s mouth was still working up and down his shaft as he pushed another finger into him and started to expertly bring him to orgasm.

Justin’s skin was red and flushed. He could feel a trickle of sweat on the side of his face and he could feel Brian’s hands and mouth all over him. The entire car had gone up in temperature and he was sure they were fogging the windows. He didn’t care. He pushed back on Brian’s hand, wanting more. 

“Now Brian. Fuck me now.”

Brian ignored him and kept his mouth at the base of his shaft swallowing around the head, letting his throat and tongue move him beyond words. He came then, with Brian’s fingers inside him.

Came deep into Brian’s throat. He groaned and collapsed back against the carpeted interior. Brian wasn’t done. He pushed at his side. Just the slightest touch and Justin moved, raising himself onto his knees, his head pushing against his suitcase as Brian pushed himself inside. 

Justin was hard again and Brian was moving quickly, already worked up by his previous activities. He was pounding into him and Justin knew he’d have carpet burn on his shoulders and he didn’t fucking care. He felt Brian's fingers dig into his hips and his hand wrap around his cock and knew Brian was close. He felt himself getting closer. Felt Brian’s fingers grip at his hip harder and heard a deep sound bellowing and echoing through the close space of the car when Brian came. He didn’t stop though, kept moving inside him, and kept the constant rhythm as Justin's jerked against him, fucking his fist. And then he came too. 

They both collapsed on their backs, trying to catch their breath. 

“I fucking needed that.”

“I needed that fucking.”

Brian laughed. He pulled his jeans up and handed Justin his own clothes. “C’mon, we’ve got things to do.”

“We do?”

“Well, we’ve got other places to do that again.”

Justin smiled and lit a cigarette as Brian pulled out of the parking garage and pointed the car towards the loft.

“When do we get the keys to the new place?’

Brian rummaged around in the console and tossed a key ring onto Justin’s lap. 

“How do we have these already?”

“I’m fucking the realtor.”

“Ewww. Brian, my mother’s the realtor.”

“Sorry, I’m fucking the realtor’s son.”

“Well, it’s nice to know you get some benefits out of it.”

Brian shot him a glance. And Justin shut up fiddled with the radio. 

Justin was pulling his suitcase out of the back…Brian reached over and picked it up, carrying it to the elevator. “My big strong hero.”

“Fuck off. I don’t have time to watch you struggle with it. What the fuck did you pack?”

“I didn’t know what I’d need.”

“So you brought everything?”

“It’s got wheels.”

Brian noticed that for the first time… “Hey, look at that.” He pulled the handle and dragged it into the loft.

“Let’s go see the new space.”

“Let’s go see the bed.”

Justin shrugged him off. “New space, then bed. Then um…more bed.”

Brian tilted his head and followed Justin downstairs.

The new space was significantly less loft like than Brian’s. They’d put in walls and doors and Justin was happy to see that the bathroom was large and had plenty of room for an upgraded tub.

“So…whaddya think?”

Justin walked around contemplating. “We rip out the whole kitchen thing, we don’t need it. Keep the sink, as a wet bar I guess. Put in a wine rack above it so it’ s out of Gus’s reach. Move the entertainment center down here. The bigger room can be for Gus and the smaller one should stay as a guest space. 

I don’t think a spiral staircase is a good idea because they’re expensive annoying and dangerous for little kids. The best way to go would be a curved staircase with the right design so that there can be living space under it. That’s expensive too, and we might need more space than we have to do that. Of course if we close off the…”

Brian kissed him mid sentence. 

“What was that for?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay. Good reason. I’m not sure about this stairs issue we could just close off the stairwell and expand into the hallway since you own both floors. Then if we take down this wall, or at least take out the doors, Gus can get up and down and so can we without going into the hallway or public stairs… but if we do that I think there’s fire code issues. 

Do you have all the dimensions?”

Brian watched him, amazed. He could practically hear Justin’s mind clicking as the tumblers fell into place and the final idea would eventually unlock itself and then they’d get started. He absently handed Justin the pages where he’d written down the basic square footage and measurements. Justin smiled.

“It’ll be perfect but where do you want the stairs to come to in the loft? I think they should come up where the computer desk is now… that makes the most sense but then I think we have to do a normal staircase with a landing… are you okay with that?”

Brian lifted an eyebrow… “I get some say in this?”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Where do you want the stairs?” 

Brian shrugged. “Everything you said sounds fine. Keep the common areas downstairs and our bedroom and kitchen upstairs.”

“No point in remodeling the kitchen, it’s not like you cook. But if we were gonna choose, we’d want your appliances and they’re already there.”

Brian nodded and stood leaning against one of the support beams watching Justin walk and plan. Justin was walking off space and calculating something in his head and then he looked up and beamed.

“It’s perfect.”

“It is?”

“It is. Brian we’re not gonna have to do much of anything, except paint…gaaah, what the fuck were they thinking with this color?”

“I have no idea what accountants think.”

“They weren’t accountants. Mom said they were…”

“Who cares?”

“Good point. When can construction start?”

“After we get back we do the final closing, and construction can’t start 'til then. “ 

“November first. We can get started by then right?”

“I guess so.”

“Excellent. I can be here for the beginning. Then I have to get back home for the show. By the time I come back for thanksgiving, we’ll have stairs. And paint.”

Brian nodded. Justin smiled and walked out of the new space and upstairs. Brian locked the door behind him and by the time he was back in the loft Justin had pulled out his laptop and was booting it up.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Entering dimensions so that…”

“Uh uh.” Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and sucked at his earlobe before he whispered almost menacingly. “We had a deal. New space, then bed.”

“I just want to…”

“Bed.”

“It’ll only take a…”

“Bed.”

Justin came back to reality, or let go of reality or whatever. He began to pay attention to Brian’s persistent hands and warm breath and musky scent and the heat emanating off of him and leaned his head back letting Brian glide his tongue over and between his lips. “Bed.” Justin breathed.

Hours later Brian was asleep and Justin pulled on his khakis again and let himself focus on the project at hand. 

When he felt like he’d made some headway he crawled back into bed and settled against Brian's chest. He had a feeling Brian hadn’t been sleeping much. He looked tired. He knew he had to call his mother, and Aaron, and that he had to somehow get Brian to talk about this thing with Craig before he pushed it so deep that it mingled in further with his issues regarding his own father.

Those two were already co-mingled in Brian’s brain. If they got that twisted and entwined in Brian’s psyche he wasn’t entirely sure what would happen but he knew it wouldn’t be good.

He laid an arm across Brian’s chest and squeezed. Hoping he could give Brian what he needed… even if it wasn’t what he wanted.

Brian woke up about an hour later and tried to slide out from under Justin’s arm without waking him. It didn’t work.

“You’re up.”

“Yeah.” Brian sat up and lit a cigarette. 

Justin sat up and put a pillow behind him. “So.”

“So?”

“Wanna order dinner or talk about what’s going on with Aaron and Craig and you.”

“It’s all handled.”

“Mmm hmmm.”

“Restraining order, child support. All filed. Aaron knows to call the cops if he sees Craig. Everyone’s fine.”

“How ‘bout you?”

“I know what to do if I see Craig. I’m fine.”

“So what do you do if you see Craig?”

Brian let out a long exhale of smoke. “Ignore him. He can’t hurt anyone.”

“Liar.”

Brian stood up and pulled on a pair of jeans. He headed towards the kitchen. 

“Get me a beer.” Justin called to him.

Brian handed him his beer and took his own to the sofa and flipped on the TV.

“So we’re just going to pretend it’s not an issue for you?”

“Who’s pretending?”

Justin sat next to him, in his robe. “You.”

“Fuck off.”

“Doesn’t work that way.”

Brian drained his beer quickly. “Let’s go out.”

“I need a shower.”

“We both do.”

Justin followed Brian into the bathroom

Minutes later he closed his eyes, luxuriating in the warm stream of water pounding against his face and Brian’s warm body pounding into him.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~*~*

Brian was flipping through his closet deciding on a shirt.

“It’s gonna be great to have a bathtub. You know…we could build a bigger closet. A full on walk in with the works.”

Brian turned his head and lifted an eyebrow, interested.

Justin forged ahead. “I saw some really cool stuff at one of those design trade shows. And I just did something amazing for this woman who lives on the upper west side. It’s incredible. You should have something like that.

“Not that big a queen.”

“You so are.”

“More closet space would be good. Don’t need it decorated, just need a place where my shit won’t get destroyed by Gus or crushed.”

“Well this would be a great chance to design exactly what you want.”

“Maybe.”

“And I think we’re gonna have to tear out the stall shower in the downstairs bathroom to fit the tub.”

“Okay. We’ve still got this shower.”

“I love this shower.”

“I know.”

“You okay?”

“Stop fucking asking that.” Brian pulled on a dark red t-shirt and Justin had to admit he looked lethal. He’d been spending more time at the gym, or less time eating, or both. He always looked good. At the moment he looked beyond good. Justin stood in front of him and pushed him backwards onto the bed.

“Bad choice.”

Brian looked at him. “What?”

“That shirt.”

“Why?”

Justin growled and lifted his hips as he pulled down Brian’s jeans. “Need you now.”

Brian groaned, and grabbed Justin's hips as they were grinding against him. Justin had already fished a condom out of the pocket of his jeans and slid it on him. He held Justin's waist as Justin gripped the base of Brian's dick and lowered himself onto it. Brian smiled then. The first full smile Justin had seen since he’d gotten off the plane. He leaned forward, kissing Brian as he clenched and unclenched around him. “Too fucking hot in that shirt.”

“I’ll burn it.”

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

Brian lifted his knees, thrusting into Justin, causing him to gasp and bite his lip. His eyes were glazed and his focus entirely on what he was feeling. Justin sat back up, his thighs straining as he rode Brian hard. He reached for Brian's hand and together they stroked his cock while Justin rode him.

When he came Justin watched his face. And when Brian’s eyes closed for a few seconds he saw a flash of the peace he’d been looking for. And then Brian was lifting him off his body and straightening himself up, ready to go out.

Justin glanced over at him. The peaceful expression had been so fleeting and the crease in his forehead was back.

They headed towards Woody’s for a game of pool. Nothing was gonna get addressed until Brian was ready, or Justin pushed hard enough. Now wasn’t the time. So they drank, and mopped the floor with Emmett and Gordon at pool and then headed to Pistol. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was dancing with Gordon. Brian and Emmett were drinking at the bar and watching. Brian took a bump and offered one to Emmett who declined. Justin and Gordon walked back over to their respective partners and Justin fished in Brian’s pocket.

Brian knew what he was reaching for and pulled it out before he found it. He held it in his fist away from Justin. “Thought you were gonna cut that shit out.”

Justin was already a little drunk. “Now who’s being a hypocrite?”

“You’re already drunk.”

Justin looked meaningfully at Brian’s beer and Brian sighed and gave the vial to Justin. “I’m dumping your ass if you become some freaky little crystal queen.”

“Deal.”

Justin tucked the vial in his own pocket and it was Brian’s turn to fish it out. “Mine.”

Justin leaned in and kissed Brian’s neck. “Yours.” He purred. 

“Christ you’re wasted.”

Justin giggled a little. “But not a waste.”

Brian shook his head and pulled Justin back out onto the dance floor. They moved together and got the usual stares and gawks and offers to join them. They took turns telling people to fuck off until eventually they stumbled into the back room.

Justin went down on Brian and when he shot he leaned against him and kissed him. He was leaning against his chest, rubbing himself against Brian's thigh and circling Brian’s nipple through his shirt with a finger. “This is a really great shirt.”

Brian huffed out a laugh. “I think it’s my new lucky shirt.”

“You need more lucky stuff in your life.”

“I do?”

“You do. You’re all worried all the time and you think the Aaron thing is your fault and you want to kill Craig and you won’t talk to me about any of it.”

Brian was trying to distract Justin. He unzipped his jeans and reached his hand inside to stroke him. It didn’t shut Justin up.

“You really should talk to me. I know you think I’m an idiot drama princess fledgling crystal queen but I’m not. I’m Justin, your partner and right now you’re hand feels really good, and you’re gonna put a finger in my ass soon if I don’t shut up, so I’m probably gonna keep talking just so you’ll do that, but eventually you have to talk to me and you don’t have any way to avoid it because we haven’t put the stairs in yet and you can’t get out of the loft cause I’ll sit there in front of the door an oh god, I TOLD you you were gonna do that.”

Brian smiled now a little evilly. It did shut Justin up and that was really what he needed at the moment.

He wasn’t stupid. And he didn’t think Justin was either, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin woke up to the sound of coffee beans grinding. He pulled a pillow over his head and tried to get back to sleep. Brian handed him a cup of coffee and some aspirin. “Rough night?”

“Fuck you. It’s your fault.”

“Okay.”

“It is.”

“I agreed with you.”

“You used that ‘humor him’ voice.”

“Whatever.”

“There it is again.”

Justin sat up and drank his coffee silently. He slid into the shower and twenty minutes later he was feeling significantly more human. He pulled out a pair of sweats and sat down on the opposite side of the sofa from Brian. Brian moved his legs giving Justin room and then settled his own back around them. 

Justin’s shoulders relaxed a little. He prodded Brian’s foot playfully and Brian prodded back. 

“You’re wrong you know.”

Justin looked up. “Wrong about what?”

“Do you remember what you said last night?’

“I was a little tweaked I probably said a lot of things.”

“So you really do have those fun little crystal blackouts?”

“I said that you think I’m a kid and a crystal queen and that you have to talk to me and you think you can get out of it but you can’t … which part was wrong?”

“The part where I think you’re a kid. Or an addict.”

“You have to stop trying to control me on shit like that.”

“I know.”

“Do you know what I said that was right?”

“The part where I can’t get out of talking to you even if I want to.” Brian slumped down a little. Justin tried not to smile. He looked upset, and angry, but he also looked a little like Gus when you told him to finish his vegetables.

“Brian if you don’t want to talk about it…”

“I don’t.”

“Too bad you didn’t let me finish. If you don’t want to talk about it…”

“I said I don’t.”

“Stop interrupting me just because you know what I’m gonna say next. _if you don’t want to talk about it_ … it’s usually something that you NEED to talk about and in the long run it’s quicker if you just stop fighting your need to bottle this up.”

“You were right.”

“Good.”

“I knew what you were gonna say.”

“Brian.”

“Find some new material would you?”

“No.”

“Justin. Stop it.”  
  


“No.”

“I mean it. Don’t push this.”

“Okay. But when you die of a bleeding ulcer at forty, I’m putting “I don’t want to talk about it” on your headstone.”

Brian smiled a little at that. “There’s nothing there we haven’t covered before.”

Justin remained silent.

“I don’t like Craig. He’s a bully. He’s hurt you. He’s hurt Aaron. He gave Alicia a split lip… he needs to fucking stay away from me.”

“Or what?”

Brian looked up. “Or I’ll kill him.”

“Brian.” Justin was a little scared now. Brian wasn’t amused. He wasn’t deranged, and he wasn’t kidding. “Brian.” He repeated.

Brian stood up and headed towards the kitchen. “I can’t Justin. I can’t let some asshole plow over people I care about. Not letting that happen.”

“Again.”

“This is not about my fucking father. Not everything I do is about Jack.”

“Then who’s it about?”

“You. Aaron. Alicia. Me. He tried to kill me too.”

Justin followed him then putting his arms around him from behind. “He’s an asshole Brian but you couldn’t stop this. You can’t stop it. I swear to you this is so not your fault.”

Brian shrugged him off and pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “I know.”

“You do not.”

“I do. I was protecting Aaron. Not my fault he didn’t tell me.”

“You’ll let me know when you actually believe that?”

“Justin go home.”

“What?” Justin blinked trying to process what Brian had just said. 

“Go home. I’ll meet you in Cabo but I can’t take a week of this bullshit.”

“You want me to leave? You’re kicking me out of the loft because I want to talk?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Not your choice.”

“You gonna physically throw me out?”

Brian drained his water and stormed over towards the sofa. He seemed to lose all energy once he reached it and collapsed. “No.”

“Okay. So I’m not leaving. But I think…”

“I know what you think.”

“So we’ll drop it for now.”

“We’ll drop it.”

“For now.”

“Justin.”

“Don’t you fucking think about it. You think I’m so fucking stupid. You think this is new? Brian I have been having this same argument with you for um…going on six years now. When the fuck are you going to stop forgetting that I don’t leave. You. Can. Not. Shake. Me.”

Brian smiled then. “We do need walls.”

“Huh?”

“You need a door to slam. You can’t have a good queen out without slamming a door.”

Justin laughed. “Maybe we’ll put in a whole wall of doors, just for slamming.”

“Or an entire hallway. You can swing open a door, slam it, take another step, slam the next door…. You and Gus could have a field day.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re one tenacious little drama princess.”

“It’s all part of my charm.”

“What’s the other part?”

“Fuck you.”

“That _is_ the other part.”

“Wanna see what I figured out for the downstairs?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna talk about this?”

“No.”

“Gonna talk about it eventually?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Okay then, c’mere… I think you’re gonna like where I finally put the staircase.”

Brian took Justin's hand and moved over to the dining table to see what he’d come up with. Justin knew Brian wasn’t ready to talk…he also knew Brian had pretty much accepted his fate. He was going to have to talk at some point. In the meantime they could just argue over the little stuff… like where to have lunch.


	24. Chapter 24

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Four**

* * *

“You know there’s no way out of it, everyone knows I’m here.”

“They’ll blame me. I can take it.”

“Good plan, lets have everyone hate you more.”

“They don’t hate me, they just think I run the world and that everything that happens in it is my fault.”

“Wonder how they get that impression.”

Brian shrugged and Justin kissed his shoulder. “It could be because you _like_ them to think that.”

“Could be.”

“So shouldn’t we go? They all think you’re god. You should get off on that.”

“You don’t think I’m god?”

“No, I figured out years ago that you’re a manipulative guy with a god complex. It’s different.”

“What if I were god?”

“I don’t think god actually holds himself as accountable as you do for other peoples free will.”

“Back to this again?”

“Back? You’ve been avoiding it for three days.”

“And you’ve been harping on it.”

Justin rolled over on top of Brian. He fit his legs between the man’s longer ones and brushed his dark hair off his forehead. “I don’t harp. Now let’s go shower and carbo-load at Deb's. I’ll make nice to my mother. We can see Aaron and make sure he’s okay and then we can come back here, get completely wasted on good weed and better sex…”

Brian leaned up and kissed him. He was running his hand through soft blonde locks idly. “That all sounds good. Except for the part where we leave the loft and go to Deb’s.”

Justin closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of Brian's hand through his hair, on his face. “We have to go. Please don’t make me nag.”

He heard Brian make a small noise and knew it was…if not agreement, at least acceptance. He got up and started to run the shower. Brian was behind him moments later.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

This time they had given warning. There was no scene to be had. The chatter didn’t even stop when they walked in. Deb still greeted him effusively. Jenn pulled them both aside to book a lunch before they got too busy to see her. Justin rolled his eyes but promised her they’d have lunch on Thursday before they left. 

Michael’s plans for the new issue were still being tweaked and all was as it should be… except that Brian was quiet. Justin noticed. Most people didn’t. Most people thought he was usually pretty quiet. He wasn’t. He talked a lot when he had something he wanted to say. Justin watched him carefully. He had something he didn’t want to say.

He watched him answer Michael’s questions perfunctorily, and promise to meet him for breakfast at the diner on Tuesday. He watched him down several bottles of beer in rapid succession. He watched him glance at Aaron, and at Alicia. Then he watched him stand up and presumably go outside for a cigarette. 

Justin was as taken aback by Alicia's appearance as Brian had been. It looked bad. She swore it was nothing. She thanked Brian for his assistance with the lawyers. She and Jenn talked quietly about something in the corner.

Justin decided to let Brian have the time to himself. He wasn’t gonna start talking here. He wasn’t gonna deal with anything tonight on Deb’s front lawn. He sat down and Aaron sat next to him.

“I thought you lived in New York.”

“I do.”

“Then why are you always here?”

Justin shrugged and didn’t say anything when Aaron took a long pull from his beer bottle. He wasn’t in the mood to play big brother.

Aaron looked at him. “Why’s Brian so mad?’

Justin turned his head. No one else had seemed to notice… “What makes you think he’s mad?”

“He’s got that look. And he won’t actually look at anyone. And he’s not talking and duh.”

Justin nodded. Not sure what to say. Unable to decide if he should feel relieved that only Aaron noticed or aggravated that no one else did. Deb called them to dinner and Brian remained quiet. When they left Justin climbed into the car beside Brian and watched him slump a little.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You were right we shouldn’t have come.”

“Why not?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Brian started the car and didn’t say much on the way back to the loft.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

He needs to shut up. That’s all I can think to myself as he’s so fucking careful about everything he says. I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to draw me out. He wants me to admit something. The thing is… he’s got no idea how wrong he is. 

He thinks this is about some bullshit between my father and me. He thinks I still hold Jack responsible for everything. He’s so fucking wrong. This is my fault. I know that. He knows it too but he doesn’t expect more of me, and that pisses me off too.

They all want me to fix everything… except Justin. He doesn’t expect me to fix anything. He expects me to fuck things up. That’s what all these fucking years together have taught him… Brian fucks things up. That’s what he expects and surprise, that’s what happened.

I could pick it apart, analyze it to death, record it and play it back frame by frame. I could be a Monday morning quarterback on the whole thing and figure out exactly where I fucked up but it won’t solve anything. It won’t change the fact that I fucked up.

Not jack. Not Craig. Those fuckers are both doing what they do best. We know what to expect from them. I guess Justin is pretty smart because he knows what to expect from me…nothing.

Couldn’t help him then, can’t help him now.

Gave him a place to live when his father was being an asshole. Kicked him out first time it got less than convenient.

Danced with him, got him hit in the head with a bat.

Yeah, I’m a fucking prize catch. Finally thought we were done with all that bullshit. He was done running around playing with guns…couldn’t stop him on that one either…and then he gets creamed by his father again.

So we’re partners…which means his job is to take care of me…that’s what he thinks…but he’s wrong. He doesn’t owe me that. It’s a debt I can’t repay because I could never do it for him. Not once. Haven’t spared him any pain. Caused a lot of it…haven’t spared any though.

And now his fucking half-breed comes around. This time we all saw it coming. And he went back to New York…home… he doesn’t refer to the loft as home anymore. Calls it “the loft” what the fuck is that about? Doesn’t matter…different issue. This issue is that he went back _home_. He knew I’d take care of it. He knew I’d take care of Aaron… and I failed again.

This time he figured he had a chance to count on me because we knew. It’s like he left me a list of detailed instructions on the care and feeding of a half-breed twink. The thing is…I almost killed the last one, why would anyone give me another chance?

He did though, he trusted me…they both did. And now Aaron’s got an irate Craig with legal actions against him still trying to talk to him. And they can both tell me all they fucking want that it’s okay and not my fault but I should have seen it. Jack didn’t teach me a lot but he taught me how to cover for him. Now I miss it when some little half-breed does the same damn thing.

He wants to say something. I can see it. We’re parked and I’m heading up the stairs. Alone in an elevator is not my idea of a safe bet with him right now. I’ll distract him. I’ll fuck him, and when he wakes up…he’s still gonna want me to talk about this.

He hasn’t said a word but he’s hovering at the door like he did the first night I brought him here. Nervous. Same thing both times though…nervous about how to start…still knows what he wants… just not sure how to get there.

Well, I helped him then. Not gonna help him now. He wants to get somewhere I don’t want him to go. I want to hold him. Fuck him. Watch him come.

When I see that. When I see his face and know I brought that feeling… I can almost forgive myself for all the times I’ve hurt him. He says he doesn’t have to forgive me. He says there’s nothing to forgive. That’s what I’ve done to him. I’ve taken a kid who believed in love and turned him into a man who knows better than to expect anything. 

At the root of it… that’s why I’m this upset. I hate Craig. There are times I think I’d like to kill him but mostly because I want him dead. That may not make sense but it’s not that I feel the need to take out the physical aggression on him. I don’t need him to feel the pain he’s inflicted. I just want him gone. I want them safe. 

Alicia's fucking face. Seen my mom like that a couple of times. She got better at hiding it later…or he got better at not aiming for her face. Not sure which. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?

I tell her, and then I leave. Leave Aaron scared and bruised. Leave Alicia to stew in her own rage until it seems like a good idea to confront that asshole.

And Justin’s busy working on the plans for the new space now while he keeps one eye on me and my good friend Jim Beam. He’s pissed. He hates it when I drink straight from the bottle. He knows it’s a bad sign. I should probably use a glass, not tip my hand about how upset I am but it doesn’t matter. He’s gonna curl his body around mine and he’s gonna try to comfort me and he’s gonna make me talk and I have no way out of that. 

I could bitch and moan. I can simply refuse to talk…. But that doesn’t work. He knows where all my buttons are and he knows how to press the right ones. He’s giving me some time and some space but he also knows that eventually he’ll get it out of me.

And that’s why I need another warm swallow from the bottle. Whatever he gets out of me… I want it soaked in Beam. I want it smooth and warm like this…not jagged and raw, the way it feels now. And I also need to figure out what I’m gonna say. 

If I tell him the truth he’ll give me the same bullshit he always does. He doesn’t even see how fucking wrong he is. How much he deserves to expect. How much I can’t provide.

I can buy him shit. I can buy him anything. Hell, I just got the profit and loss statement for last month. I made more personally this quarter than my father made in five years. I can give any _thing_ he wants. The problem is he doesn’t want anything from me. When the fuck did that happen?

He’s staring at me now… walking towards me and I know he thinks he’s gonna get me to talk but he’s not.

“You’re wrong about everything.”

Who the fuck said that…dammit it was me. Fuck, I was right, it’s worth repeating…I’ll start then he doesn’t get the satisfaction of thinking he finally got me.

“You’re completely wrong.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

“Everything everything or just the Craig situation everything?”

Now my head fucking hurts. I take another swallow.

“Everything everything.”

“Oh, okay then.”

“See, that’s what’s wrong with you.”

“What?”

“You just accept shit like that.”

“What am I supposed to say Brian? I can’t argue about everything. I can’t even argue about this.”

“There is no _this_ ”

“There is. You know it. Stop pretending you’re too drunk to make sense. You’ve never been that drunk.”

“Justin. You think I think this is my fault.”

“You do.”

“Shut the fuck up. It’s not my fault. It’s your fault.”

Now he’s looking at me like I grew another head. I resist the urge to move my hand to my neck and check. I focus back on what he’s saying.

“My fault?”

“Yeah. You shouldn’t have trusted me with him. You had to know I was gonna fuck it up.”

“So you fucked up and it’s my fault for not knowing you’re a fuck-up.”

“That’s the part I don’t get. You _do_ know I’m a fuck-up.”

“You have a very hazy and unclear idea of what goes on in my head.”

“No. I know you.”

“I thought that too… until you started talking just now.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Explain it to me.”

“No.”

“Brian.” He puts a hand on my arm and it’s warm and it’s soft and it’s strong and I shake it off… he shouldn’t be touching me. 

“I trained you well and you move away for a little while and forget everything.”

“What?”

“Stop saying what.”

He closes his eyes exasperated. Good. Maybe he’ll quit. That’s a false hope on my part. He’s gonna dig this out with a grapefruit spoon and he’s not stopping until he’s scraped away all of it. This is fucked. I stand up and move away from him. Move over to the chair and sit. He’s turned. He’s facing me and he’s not fucking blinking. Blink you stupid little twat.

“Brian…”

“Shut up.”

“No. Brian, what the fuck are you talking about?’

“I’m not talking about anything you’re the one who started this whole thing.”

Okay, no he isn’t but he kind of is. He started it three days ago. I’m just catching up. 

“Started what?”

“The grapefruit spoon thing.” Shit, I may be drunker than I thought.

“Brian.”

“Stop saying my name like you’re trying to remind me, or yourself, who I am.”

“Stop acting like a guy I met six years ago and start acting like the Brian I know.”

“We’re the same person.”

“There’s a vague resemblance.”

“Well yeah, he had two balls.”

He flinches…good. Got the fucker to blink.   
  


“Tell me what specifically you’re upset about?”

Okay. He wants specifics. That’s good. There are loopholes in specifics. You can just omit shit and still be specific. Specifics are good. 

“I’m specifically pissed that Craig elbowed Alicia in the face. I’m specifically pissed that Aaron lied to me. I’m specifically pissed that no piece of paper is gonna keep Craig away from you, me, or Aaron and Alicia.”

“What generally are you pissed about?’

“You don’t even think I could have stopped it.” Fuck… did I just say that? I take another deep cleansing swallow of Beam. Maybe he’ll write this all off to my being drunk.

“You couldn’t have stopped it.”

“See. I knew you thought that.”

Have I mentioned how much I hate his “duh” face? He looks like some twelve-year-old retard. That’s not hot. If it’s not hot why do I want to fuck him right now while he’s making the duh face at me? Fuck this. I try to stand up but damn, I’m a little drunk. I sit back down hard. 

“Brian you can’t stop Craig.”

“Can’t stop anyone who wants to hurt you. Can’t stop Hobbes. Can’t stop Craig. Can’t stop you. Can’t stop Matt. I know that. You know that. You’re not supposed to know that.”

He’s giving me that look again and I swear to god if I wasn’t so fucking drunk I can’t stand up I’d do something to change his expression. Except this is what he should look like. Disgusted. He’s always so happy to see me. Yeah we fight, we bicker, but he’s never completely repulsed by me. He is now. Good. No not good. Fuck. I don’t want him to leave. 

“Don’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay.”

“Do you really think I expect you to be some kind of hero?”

“No, you don’t. You know what to expect. Me, fucking up. Me, not protecting.”

“So that’s what you’re upset about. That I don’t blame you because I know there’s nothing you could do.”

My turn to give the duh face. I don’t think I do it as well as he does. 

“You’re a moron.”

Keeping the duh face…it still works.

“Brian did you know you’re human.”

I’m just gonna keep looking at him like this 'til he starts making sense.

“No one could have done anything about any of that bullshit. You’re the only one who tried… which makes you pretty fucking amazing. You’re not my bodyguard. You’re not my white night. You’re my partner.”

“You deserve more.”

“No such thing as having more when you’ve got Brian fucking Kinney.”

I snort. It sounds really unattractive. It must look really unattractive but not to him because now he’s sitting on my fucking lap. “I love you.”

I’m kissing his neck, but I think I’m being really sloppy about it…”you shouldn’t”

“Too late.”

“You deserve better.”

“Never really thought I’d be willing to stroke your ego but… you are the best.”

“Stroke something else.”

“You’re drunk.”

“No shit.”

“Brian.” He’s holding my face in his hands now and staring into my eyes and once again…when did he learn not to blink?

“It’s not your job to take care of me. Or Aaron, or Alicia, or anyone else.”

Okay, I see his point. He’s wrong. Completely wrong. But I see where he thinks he’s right. I throw my hand over his lap and pull him closer.

“You so don’t get it.” My face is buried against his chest as he shifts his weight a little and I get the feeling back in my legs. His arms are wrapped around my head and this is good…no eye contact means I can’t see that no blinking thing he’s doing.

“What don’t I get?”

“You’re supposed to take care of people you love. You’re supposed to expect them to take care of you. I’m supposed to take care of you. It’s my job.”

He’s laughing. I can feel his chest moving with laughter against my head and I’m seriously going to throw him off my lap in a minute. “You really believe that don’t you? You really think that you fucking forced me to stop expecting things that you think you should be providing, things that no human could provide. Oh my god you are so fucked up.”

“You’re laughing at me when you know I’m fucked up. That’s mean.”

“Brian. I don’t expect you to rescue me. I’m not twelve years old. I’m not some starry-eyed little kid reading romance novels. If I want rescuing…I’ll do it myself. Then I’ll come back and tell you all about my harrowing adventure and you can laugh at me for being so stupid in the first place.”

“That’s stupid.”

“No. You’re stupid.”

“Justin. Why can’t you just let me keep you safe?”

“Because even if I were willing to let you do that. It’s not within your power.”

“The fuck it isn’t.”

“Brian. Do I ever do what you say?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re a twat.” My head is still kind of buried against him but that’s good. I really don’t want him to see me crying and I think I am.

“No I’m a man. So I get to decide what I do and don’t do.”

“Like I said a twat. I’ve been a man longer than you. You should listen to me.”

“You’ve been a man for less time. You were thirteen when I met you.”

“Cool that means I’m only nineteen now. I should got out and get laid.”

He makes a move to get off my lap and I hold him there. I look up at him. Fuck. He’s right. I hate that.

“You’re right. I hate that.”

“I know.”

“You really do deserve to expect things from me.”

“I do.”

“But you expect me to fuck up.”

“You do.”

“Then why don’t you just leave?’

“I can’t. I love you.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“And I’m in love with a moron.”

“So you’re really pathetic.”

“Seems that way.”

He’s pulling me up now…when did he slide off my lap? He’s trying to drag me to bed. That sounds like a good place to be. I lean on him but I guess I’m heavier than a thought. He stumbles but we don’t fall.

I’m dead drunk. He’s dead sober. He’s kissing me and pulling at my clothes and you know what, I’m drunk, which I think I already said, so I’ll just let him.

Have I mentioned that he doesn’t blink? He doesn’t fucking blink, and he’s looking at me with these wide eyes while he’s blowing me and he doesn’t fucking blink…what’s up with that?

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Brain’s passed out. He was good for a couple of round and then he crashed pretty hard. I’m sitting here at the computer trying to tweak the downstairs floor plan and brushing my hair out of my face. I need a haircut. It’s getting really long again.

He’s right. I hate that. He’s also wrong. I hate that too. We’re so fucking twisted. The both of us. He expects me to be the emotionally stable one. How the fuck do I do that when I’m riding the fucking Kinney relationship roller coaster.

He thinks he’s supposed to save me. He thinks I’m supposed to want him to. Wrong wrong wrong.

He thinks he taught me not to expect that. Fuck, he’s right. That part is true. He did me a favor with that one, but he’ll never see it that way. He thinks I’m stupid. He thinks I’m a twat. I’m not. Not usually. But he brings out the worst in me sometimes. 

He thinks there was something he could have done. He thinks I expected him to do something…wrong wrong wrong. 

I’m exhausted. I’m going back to bed. In the morning I’ll show him the new designs. I’ll show him where we’re putting the closet. I’ll show him my new business cards, which I haven’t had a chance to do yet. I’ll talk to him about bullshit and hopefully, he’ll remember even a little of what he said last night and realize how fucking wrong he is.

The thing is. I doubt it. He never admits he’s wrong. He hates that. Fuck. I’m not sure this is over. He thinks it’s over. I’m gonna try to let it be over. But I’m not sure this is over.

Thank god we’re going away in a few days. We both need it.

He turns in his sleep and does that stealth-cuddling thing, pulling me closer to him. I feel his chest pressed against my back his arm slung over my waist. He’s doing his job just fine. I can sleep now.

* * *

Justin's New Business Cards by Rapunzel50


	25. Chapter 25

Brothers Keeper 25

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

* * *

Justin woke up first. Brian was still passed out, or had possibly slipped from passed out to merely asleep. He extracted himself from Brian’s arms and took a quick shower. 

He was dressed and almost ready to head towards the studio when Brian finally showed some signs of life.

“What time is it?”

“Almost eight. I’m gonna be in the studio most of the day.”

“I’ll be there later to check on the construction.”

Justin kissed him on the forehead. “You have any meetings today?”

Brian groaned. “Yeah, I’ve got a ten o’clock.”

Justin handed him a couple aspirin and a bottle of water he’d brought over. “See you later.”

Brian made a noise indicating that at least he’d heard him.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Justin had gotten a lot done on a few projects he’d been putting off when Aaron came running up the stairs. “Hi!”

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, I’m working.”

“You and Brian are always working.” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be working too?”

“I’m supposed to go out and pick up coffee…you want some?”

Justin waved his hand towards the coffee maker in the corner. “I’m set.”

“Okay.”

Justin looked up as Aaron was walking out the door. “Wait!”

“What?”

“Come here.”

“Um.”

“Cut it the fuck out and come here.”

Aaron walked towards him. 

“What happened to your neck?”

Aaron leered… “What happened to yours?” Justin cursed himself for blushing but he knew Brian had left a mark last night, several of them. He did that a lot when he was drunk, or horny, or in a particularly possessive mood, or um…well…Justin shook his head.

“You run into dad today?”

“He’s not happy about getting served with papers.”

“You call the police?”

Aaron shrugged. “No point really, he was gone when I pulled out the cell phone.”

“But not before he did this.” Justin was examining a red mark on the back of Aaron’s neck and wondering what the fuck to do now. Brian walked in. “Who did what?”

“Nothing.”

“Brian it’s…”

Brian saw where Justin’s hand was and moved it away from Aaron's neck. Justin watched his face and was not particularly comforted by what he saw. 

“You call the cops?”

Aaron shrugged and brain dragged him downstairs. “Get back to work sunshine.”

“Call them.” He ordered once they were back down on the main floor.

“No point, they can’t do anything unless they see him near me.”

“You call your mother?”

“Don’t want to upset her any further.”

“Aaron, I can’t keep him away from you if you won’t do your fucking part.”

“You can’t keep him away from me at all.”

Justin came down the steps just in time to hear Aaron’s reply.

He put his hand at the small of Brian’s back. Brian turned away and went to talk to Paul.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Why?”

“He wants to help. He knows he can’t help. You’re a fucking idiot.”

“How is this my fault?”

“It isn’t. But can’t you at least be less of a twat about the whole thing?”

“I’m not.”

Justin sighed. “Go get them their coffee. I know it’s not your fault.”

He came up to stand next to Brian. Brian walked away before he could say anything. Paul cornered him with some questions about the next project they had scheduled. It was almost a half an hour later before he could extract himself and find Brian.

Aaron had just returned with the coffee and some sandwiches. Justin ushered Brian up to the studio while the men were on a break and before Brian could escape.

“Justin stop clucking over me like a fucking mother hen.”

“I’m not. I’m trying to figure out what to do.”

“Nothing to do.”

“Okay. Aaron's coming to the loft with us tonight.”

Brian lifted an eyebrow. \

“Alicia's not home 'til midnight.”

“Right, Monday, feels like fucking Friday.”

“Friday we’ll be on a white sandy beach, with a margarita in one hand and a bottle of lube in the other.”

Brian smiled at that. “Sounds good.”

“Yeah. You okay?”

“Would be if you’d stop asking that.”

“I’m just…”

“I know. I thought we settled this last night.”

“We did. For the most part.”

“Meaning you’re not done.”

“I’m completely done. Let’s take Aaron out tonight.”

“That’s new.”

“Well?”

“Sure. We’ll take the half-breed out”

“Ask Gordon if he and Emmett want to join us.”

“Calling in the reserves?”

“No, just extra eyes to keep track of Aaron.”

“And me.”

“I can keep an eye on you all by myself.”

“Do you really think you need to keep an eye on me?”

“I really like to keep my eyes on you.”

Brian smirked. “That’s not new.”

Justin leaned back in his chair and stretched. “I’m gonna go to the loft soon. Get a few hours of sleep since I’m guessing Aaron is less than quiet once he gets there.”

“You’d guess right.”

He packed up his computer and threw his paintbrushes in a pan of chemicals. “See you back there.”

“See you at home.” Brian said before he kissed him. 

Justin left and did crash for a few hours. He woke to the sound of an explosion. “What the fuck?”

Aaron was smiling broadly. “I killed that thing.” 

Justin rubbed his eyes and pulled on a pair of jeans. He grabbed a couple of bottles of beer from the ‘fridge. “Where’s Brian.”

Aaron shrugged. “Said he had something to do.”

“At Babylon or KinnetiK?”

“Didn’t say. He’s gonna be back before we leave.”

Justin called Brian’s cell.

“Where are you?”

“Working.”

“Bullshit.”

“All that money you resent me for having. This is where it comes from.”

“You coming back soon?”

“I’ll be home eventually.”

“You coming out with us tonight?”

“Not sure.”

“What the fuck?”

“Work to do. If we’re going away I need to get shit done.”

“Whatever.”

“Justin.”

“Brian.”

They both sighed. And then they both laughed. “This is fucked.”

“No shit.”

“Come out with us.”

“I’ll be home soon.”

“Promise?”

“Go play with the half-breed.”

“I could come there.”

He sighed again. “I’ll be there by eight.”

“Okay.”

Justin hung up the phone and it rang again quickly. “Brian, if you don’t want to… oh. Sorry. Oh. Um, okay. Yeah. Thank you so much. I know. So… okay. I’ll tell him.”

Aaron was too preoccupied with the game to even notice the phone call. Justin sat next to him on the sofa and bit his nails. He waited five minutes then he picked up the phone and went to the bedroom to call Brian.

“I think I have good news.”

“You think?”

“Carl called.”

“And?”

“Craig’s in the hospital. Apparently his car got away from him and flipped off the side of the road.”

“Good.”

“Brian!”

“What? I didn’t run him off the road. I’m glad he’s off the streets.”

“Yeah I guess it’s just…”

“What?”

“I don’t know how bad the injuries are.”

“Was he drunk?”

“Carl says yes.”

“Good. That’ll keep him off the roads longer.”

“How can you be so…?”

“So what? Pleased, relieved, calm?”

“Well, yeah, all of those.”

“You want to go see him.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Brian I can’t. There’s a restraining order remember?”

“I remember why too.”

“What if he dies?”

Brian sighed. “Have you told Aaron?”

“Not yet.”

“Tell him. I’m on my way.”

“We shouldn’t go out.”

“We’re going out. We’re celebrating.”

“Brian that’s just cold.”

“No. He is. Call your mother, she’ll find out how bad his condition is without breaking any legal distance regulations.”

“Yeah, I could do that.”

“Or you could just relax and be happy that for a couple of days at least he can’t hurt anyone.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not gonna do that.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I know. But it’s also good. Means we can go away without worrying about Aaron or Alicia. Means your father will at the very least lose his drivers license for a while. Means karma works…which I should probably worry about but…”

“Pfft. You don’t believe in karma.”

“No, but someone who does would find this poetic or something.”

“Lets go out. We’ll get really really wasted and you can fuck me in the back room.”

“With the half-breed there?”

“Ewww don’t be gross. Okay, we’ll um, go to an alley or something. More importantly, I need a drink.”

“Don’t start without me I’m on my way.”

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being rational.”

“I’m always rational.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

“I’m calling my mother.”

“Good.”

“Brian.”

“What?”  
  


“Nothing. See you soon.”

Brian got in his car, lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly. He was happy. He had to get that under control before he went home. Justin wasn’t ready to be happy yet. Neither was Aaron. He was. He was perfectly content to take solace in Craig's injuries and the knowledge that he couldn’t at the moment injure anyone else.

He found Aaron and Justin playing a wrestling game on the X-Box. They were pummeling each other and both seemed a little too happy. Then he saw the empty beer bottles and smelled the thick scent of weed. 

He sat next to Justin running his fingers through the blonde hair. “You invaded my stash.”

“Bad idea to fly with my own.”

“Good point.”

“This one.” Justin indicated Aaron with a tilt of his head “buys skunk weed from high school losers.”

“Fucking kids.’

Brian went to the bedroom to change before he even attempted to catch up to the buzz they apparently both had. They were laughing as their bruised and beaten characters collapsed inside the ring. 

Brian grabbed three more beers and sat back to roll himself a joint. He took two hits before Justin took his turn. Justin passed it to Aaron and Brian cocked an eyebrow. “When did you stop being a hypocrite?”

Justin was still holding in the smoke, his voice was deeper. His shoulders a bit hunched from the effort. “Fuck it.”

Brian smiled and Justin exhaled. Then he smiled too. “You were right. It doesn’t matter. It’s better this way.”

“You call your mom?”

“Yeah, she called the hospital, said she was his wife. Gaaah, glad that’s not still true. Anyway, he was drunk, he hit a median strip, the car bounced off the guardrail and then bounced back, flew over the damn thing and landed upside down in a ditch. They had to cut him out. He broke some ribs. Has a concussion, and needed surgery because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and the window was open. His chest hit the doorframe or something and bruised something important. Like his heart.”

“He has a heart?”

Justin shrugged. “Probably not. Maybe he’s like the tin man.”

“Maybe.”

Aaron had been silent the whole time. Brian reached over and ruffled his hair, which seemed to aggravate him. “Fuck off.”

“Sorry, didn’t meant to fuck with your stupid fauxhawk”

“Hey, it looks cool.”

“Okay.”

“We going?”

“Not yet too early.”

“Then I’m getting another beer.”

Justin laughed. “Sorry. He’s not as okay with this as I am.”

“Why are you so okay with it?”

“Because he’s an asshole who can’t hurt anyone now and karma’s a bitch.”

“You don’t believe in karma either.”

Justin leaned in and was kissing Brian's neck. “I believe that eventually we get a break. This one was on my dads ribs.” And then he was laughing uncontrollably and Brian was seeing some of the humor in the situation and Aaron found the both of them really really twisted.

When they did finally go out they were all pretty wasted already. Brian bought shots for the three of them and then shooed Aaron off to dance with someone. He pulled Justin onto the dance floor. 

“I miss dancing with you.”

“You’re dancing with me now.”

“I know, but when I’m at all those places at home, there’s all these guys and none of them dance as badly as you.”

“You think I’m a bad dancer?”

“Duh, we’ve had this discussion. I don’t care though. I’d rather dance with your uncoordinated ass than any of the really good dancers at home.”

Brian pushed back the stupid wince of him calling New York home and focused on the part where he’d rather be here. “There’s a compliment in there somewhere.”

“It’s right at the top. The part about your ass.”

“You like my ass.”

“More than anything.”

“Really?”

“Mmm hmmm. But then again, I’m pretty fucking wasted at the moment so you know…I might be talking out of mine.”

“I know it’s talented, didn’t know it could talk.”

“Shut up and don’t make me lose my buzz.”

Justin was leaning close now, grinding his body against Brian's and reaching into his pocket at the same time.

Brian leaned in, “what are you doing?”

“Looking for candy?”

Brian shook his head and handed Justin the vial. “I’m not saying a word.”

“Good. I think my father’s gonna die.” Justin’s body jerked slightly as he inhaled the powder. He was about to take more when Brian stopped him. “You won’t lose your buzz but you’re already wasted.”

“True.”

He put the vial back in his pocket and decided that now, when his father was, (hopefully) but probably not dying, was a bad time to give him the don’t do drugs lecture. Especially when it always sounded somewhat empty coming out of his mouth and even emptier when it was his drugs the kid was doing.

He held Justin close and danced with him until Justin dragged him to the back room.

Brian scanned the crowd and saw Aaron dancing with some kid close to his own age. Emmett waved to Brian and Brian followed Justin a little more comfortably. Emmett and Gordon would keep an eye on the half-breed while he closed his eyes.

And he did. Justin was on his knees in seconds sucking Brian hard and with a skill that he apparently didn’t lose, even when this far gone. He worked his mouth and his tongue on him and Brian moaned when he came. 

He kept his eyes closed and felt Justin's warm mouth on his. He kissed him back. “You’re pretty fucking hot.”

“I do what I can.”

“You can do that very well.”

Justin was kissing his neck, his eyes closed. He heard an unfamiliar voice propositioning Justin. He opened his eyes in time to look at him and say, “Fuck off.”

Justin said it at the same time and the guy backed off, muttering something about prudes.

“Are we prudes Brian?”

Brian laughed at that. “I really don’t think so. No even if you were the only one who ever blew me in a back room again.”

“What if we are?”

  
”Then he rest of the world are freaks.”

“You think we’re freaks?”

“I think you’re wasted.”

“You know, I hate when you discount everything I say just because I’m drunk.”

“You’re more than drunk.”

“If I discount everything you say because you’re drunk we’d have to have last night’s conversation alllll over again.” Justin was slurring his words a bit. Brian flinched anyway. He was not interested in having that conversation again any time soon.

“Fuck me.”

Justin was leaning against him now. Standing on the balls of his feet so that their bodies were pressed together in all the right places.

“I don’t want to talk. You don’t want to talk. We’re not prudes. I’m wasted. Let’s not waste it. Fuck me.”

“You had me at fuck.”

Justin laughed as Brian pushed him against the wall, his hands sliding under Justin’s shirt. His mouth on Justin’s neck. His sheathed cock pressing at Justin's hole. There was nothing left to talk about or think about. Only this. Only this feeling of coming home. And he blocked out the whole stupid thing about Justin not thinking Pittsburgh was home anymore. 

Pittsburgh might not be but _this_ was. This was _home_

Justin felt it too and soon they both came, breathing hard and leaning against each other for support.

“Dance with me” Brian whispered into Justin’s ear.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around Brian's neck. “I love you.”

Brian didn’t need more right now. 

It was almost four when he finally got them both back to the loft. They’d called Alicia before they left, let her know what happened and that Aaron was staying with them. Now Brian had to do his twink wrangling routine again.

He was better prepared this time. He had a vice like grip on Justin's wrist. He didn’t let go of Aaron’s shirt and the whole procedure took half the time it had previously.

They still scattered as soon as they were in the loft. Aaron was looking for something to eat; Justin was offering him leftover Thai food. When Aaron wrinkled his nose in refusal, Justin shrugged and started wolfing it down himself. 

Brian watched in horrified amusement. Cold Thai food…he’d make sure Justin brushed his teeth before he kissed him again.

And Aaron had decided that biscotti were good. He usually called it sawdust and nagged Brian to buy some Oreos…, which Brian actually had broken down and done. And so he pulled them out of the cabinet and handed them to Aaron. 

“You’ll like these better.”

“I will?” Aaron looked at the bag. “I will! You rock!”

Brian pulled out three bottles of water, handed one to each of them and took his own and sat back in the huge captains chair Justin had insisted upon. He hated this fucking chair. It was too comfortable. It was too close to having a favorite chair. He didn’t care at the moment, it gave him the best view of the rest of the loft and watching the two tweaked twinks was top priority at the moment. Justin was on the verge of a crying jag. He’d seen them before and he wasn’t sure if Aaron’s response would be similar. He sat there and watched them stand at the kitchen counter stuffing their faces and laughing like hyenas.

They were mocking Craig. Each taking turns doing imitations of his favorite expressions. Brian tensed. He watched Justin’s face. It was coming. FUCK. He walked over casually trying to change the subject.

They were both too busy doing some sort of patented Craig finger waggle to pay attention to what he was saying. Justin was laughing hysterically and Brian was standing behind him waiting.

He didn’t have long to wait. Somewhere in the middle of a laugh Justin started to cry. 

Brian spun him around slowly and pulled him close. He didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. He motioned Aaron towards the sofa and took Justin to bed. He held him there; both fully clothed and just let him cry. 

He’d seen these before. He’d tried to avoid them. He’d tried to stop them. He’d tried to prevent them. He’d finally learned to just ride them out. They never lasted too long. Half hour tops. Then Justin moved from sobbing to sniffling, and then to sleeping. When Brian heard his breath become shallow and even he moved, stripping off his own shirt, now covered in snot… he had to learn to change into a t-shirt BEFORE Justin crashed next time. Then he pulled of Justin's shirt and jeans. Stripped down himself and pulled the duvet over both of them.

He lay on his back, listening to the even breathing beside him, and the slight wheeze of a snore from Aaron and pushed back the desire to retrace his steps. The last thing he remembered he was twenty-nine and bored by a blowjob in the back room at Babylon… if he followed those steps to this night, he’d end up with a headache.

He pulled Justin closer and kissed the top of his head. Eventfully he fell asleep.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~***~**~*

Justin drove a grumpy and reluctant Aaron to school. Brian went to meet Michael at the diner for breakfast and then set about making everyone in the office consider whether it was worth what they got paid to deal with the boss. In the end they all decided it probably was and no one quit.

“Brian they’re all gonna quit.”

“Cynthia, we pay more so that they won’t do that.”

“Couldn’t you just be nicer instead? In the long run it’s cheaper.”

Brian swallowed a couple of aspirin with his fifth cup of coffee. “No.”

“Whatever. I’m taking off for two weeks after the new year.”

“No.”

“I’m not sure you noticed this, but it wasn’t put in the form of a question.”

“I’m not sure you noticed this, but I sign your paychecks.”

“I haven’t had a vacation in eighteen months and I’m leaving January second. I’ll be back on the sixteenth.”

“Going somewhere interesting?”

“Maybe. But I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to hear about it.”

“So you’re going away with what’s his name?”

“I’m not doing anything at all. I’m going to sit home and learn to knit.”

Brian snorted. “I’m not going to mock you just because you’re using your precious vacation time to get laid. I mean if you can’t get laid AND work…that’s not my fault.”

“Fuck off Brian. Another word and I’ll change your flight from non-stop to three layovers. And while you may like to make some rude innuendo, you know it’s just gonna make Justin cranky.”

Justin walked in to catch the tail end of the conversation. “What’s gonna make me cranky?”

“Cynthia not getting laid.”

Justin took an apple out of the bowl on the table and bit into it. “No it won’t. Cynthia never gets laid.”

Cynthia gave him a look and then laughed. As she walked out of the room she glared at Brian. “Three layovers if you’re not careful.”

“Cynthia threatening you again?”

“She stopped at some point? When did that happen?’

“Good point. So, um…”

“Yes?”

“I need something.”

“Really?”

“Shut up.”

“No, it’s just…Mr. Independence. I don’t know… does it cost more than two hundred dollars?”

“Never mind. I’ll deal with it myself.”

“What? What do you need?”

“I need you to go see my father.”

Brian looked up but didn’t say anything.

“I just want to make sure he’s okay. I can’t get near him. Alicia can’t, Aaron can’t. I need to know.”

“Ask your mother.”

“She doesn’t want to see him either.”

“Ask Molly.”

“She won’t I asked.”

“What’s she got against Craig?”

“She likes my mother. And me.”

Brian nodded “so do I.”

“But you can just go look at him make sure he’s not dead.”

“Can I hold a pillow over his face?”

“Brian.”

“No.”

“Brian.”

“No.”

“I just…”

“I’m not going to see your fucking asshole father who, by the way, hates me more than he hates you or Aaron. If he’s in critical condition do you really want me walking into his room?”

“Good point.”

“Go to work.”

“Oh, here.”

“What are these?”

“My business cards, so you don’t have to use the ones that look like KinnetiK’s.”

“Nice, you do these?”

“Yeah.”

“Lunch?”

“It’s only eleven”

“I don’t mean now. I’ll meet you at the diner at two?”

“Yeah. See you then.”

“Brian.”

“No.”

“Fine.”

Justin headed towards the studio, not sure why he needed to know so badly. He knew he couldn’t see him. He was trying to figure out who might be able to get him the information he needed when his mother called.

Craig was dead.


	26. Chapter 26

Brothers Keeper 26

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

* * *

Brian was at the diner by two. Justin never showed. He talked to Deb, who hadn’t seen him and figured he got sucked into a project at his studio. He managed not to bite the heads off the idiot clients who seemed less than dazzled by his pitch at three and by four was heading over to Babylon to check on the progress.

He talked to Paul for a few minutes. Aaron wasn’t there. He made a mental note to call him and remind him that a hangover was not a valid excuse for missing work and headed up to the studio to say hi to Justin. The studio was empty. The brushes were still soaking in the tray from yesterday. There was nothing to indicate Justin had been there. He got a little worried.

He called Justin’s cell. No answer. He called the loft. No answer. He called Justin’s cell again. It went straight to voicemail. The fucker had probably forgotten to charge it. He cursed but knew he had a few things to wrap up at KinnetiK before he could call it a night. It was after seven before he finally packed up the rest of the shit into his briefcase and headed home.

He was smoking and debating bringing the whole “home” vs. “loft” thing up to Justin. He hadn’t reached a decision by the time he’d parked. He hadn’t reached a decision in the elevator. He stopped thinking about it. He slid open the loft door. The place was dark. No one was home. He hoped to god Justin hadn’t done something stupid like go to see his father. He called Justin’s cell again and heard it ring once before he got the voicemail. Fucking kid had left his phone off and on the charger in the loft.

He moved to the bedroom to change. When he walked back out he saw a lump on the chair by the window. “Justin?”

No response.

He moved closer. Justin was staring off into space. He’s been crying but he wasn’t now. 

“What’s wrong?”

Justin looked up at him. “My dad died.”

Brian reached towards him but Justin shrank back a little. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t comfort me. You’re happy.”

“No I’m not. When?”

“Right before noon. He um. He bruised something and then shot a clot and then he was gone.”

“Fuck. Why didn’t you call?”

“And say what? ‘Good news, Craig's gone?’”

“Does Aaron know?”

“Probably. My mom called me. She said she’d call Alicia. Molly’s upset.”

“Yeah I guess she would be. You’re upset too.”

“No reason to be. I know. You don’t have to tell me.”

Brian sat on arm of the chair. He ran a hand through Justin’s hair and felt him pull away from his touch. “I’m not happy.”

“Bullshit.”

“I didn’t want this.”

“Yes you did.”

“Not like this. Didn’t want you hurt again.”

“It’s not about my pain Brian. My father died. I’m sorry it’s gonna fuck up our plans to go away.”

“Is that really what you think? That a weekend on a beach takes precedence over this?”

“Shouldn’t it? He was an asshole. I wrote him out of my life a long time ago.”

“Yeah. So you’re obviously fine.”

“Fuck you.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Don’t know. Getting out of here.”

“Not leaving.”

“You eat anything today?”

“Not hungry.”

“You want a beer?”

“No.”

“Okay.” Brian moved away, not sure what to do next.

“We killed him.”

“No we didn’t.”

“Not you and me. Aaron and me. We killed him.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Right, because he wasn’t at all thrown that both of his son’s filed restraining orders against him.”

“His actions caused that. He made his choice.”

“He didn’t choose to die.”

“You didn’t choose for him to die either.”

“I wanted him dead.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I wanted him gone.”

“Not the same thing.”

“We killed him.”

Brian poured himself a scotch. He tilted the bottle towards Justin who shook his head. “We were out celebrating last night.”

“We would have gone out anyway.”

“I ruined his life.”

Brian moved towards him then. Justin was studying his hands. Brian put a finger under his chin and lifted it 'til their eyes met. “Stop it. He ruined his life.”

“He would have been fine if…”

“If he wasn’t an asshole.”

“Brian he’s dead. My daddy’s dead.”

Justin let Brian touch him then. Let him pull him forward and hold him. 

Brian wanted to hold him like this until he felt better but he knew that was a long way off. Justin had never written off his father as easily and cleanly as he’d written off Jack. And he was not going to think about how easy and clean it wasn’t. He was simply going to stand here and let Justin cry. There was nothing else he could do right now.

Justin made a brief phone call to Alicia. She said Aaron was upset but handling the news well, or as well as could be expected. Justin promised they’d drop by tomorrow sometime to touch base with him.

Brian turned on the lights and Justin squinted. “Turn them off.”

“You’re gonna sit in the dark?”

“For a little longer. You go out if you want.”

“I’ll stay.”

“I don’t need you to baby-sit me.”

“Good wasn’t planning on it.”

“Brian I’m fine.”

“And I’m home for the night. You kicking me out?”

Justin sighed. “No.”

Brian nodded and sat next to Justin on the sofa. He tried to comfort him. Tried to touch him. Justin retreated to the chair and stared out the window. Brian pulled out a few files and turned on the small lamp at his desk. He let the rest of the loft stay in shadow.

A few hours later Justin moved. He took the bottle of rum and moved back to the couch. Brian wondered when Justin had picked up his bad habits. He figured he shouldn’t be surprised, the kid had picked up a lot from him, most of them bad habits.

Justin lit a cigarette and continued to stare out the window, drinking and smoking until Brian wanted to scream. 

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Brian could barely hear him and Justin’s voice was slurred.

“I’m sorry.”

He considered his options “Sorry’s bullshit” was always a classic standby but he wasn’t sure he believed that. He did know Justin had nothing to be apologizing for. “For what?’

“I dragged you into all of this.”

“You warned me to stay out of it.”

“But then I let you get involved.”

“Let me?”

“I could have stopped you.”

Brian pushed the files away, he couldn’t focus on them…didn’t want to. “You think so?”

“Yeah.”

“Wrong.”

“Fuck off.”

“Not. Your. Fault.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll let me know when you really believe that?”

Justin didn’t say anything. He walked across the loft and headed towards the bedroom. Brian followed. He watched as Justin fished the vial out of his drawer. He balled his fists and said nothing. If he needed this. If he needed to forget. If he needed for it to feel less raw. Brian wouldn’t say anything. These were extenuating circumstances. 

Justin never hit giggly. He did raise himself beyond morose, lifted almost up to okay. He never really got to happy, or giggly. When he woke up the next morning his head was pounding, his mouth was dry and he didn’t feel the least bit better.

He stumbled across to the kitchen to get a glass of juice and something for his head. He was about to swallow the painkillers when Brian stopped him.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Taking something for this headache.”

“Excedrin.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah. Thought you knew to stay away from the green bottle.”

“Wasn’t thinking.”

“Good way to punish yourself.”

“That’s not what I was doing.”

“Okay.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Justin this has to stop.”

“It’s been less than 24 hours. You want me to finish grieving? I’m sorry I can’t work on your time schedule.”

“Not the grieving. The tweaking.”

“Hypocrite.”

“Fine, I’m a hypocrite.”

“You’re also an asshole.”

“I’m okay with that too.”

“I just needed something to take the edge off.”

“Did it?”

“Kind of.”

“How do you fee now?”

“Fine.”

“That why you’ve got two different shoes on?”

Justin looked down, he’d be so busy cramming his feet into his shoes and throwing on a jacket he hadn’t been paying attention. “Oh.”

“C’mere.”

“Why?”

“Because leaving is a bad idea.”

“I have to go see Aaron.”

“We’ll take a shower. You’ll have some coffee, and something to kill the pain that won’t kill you. Then we’ll go see Aaron.”

“And my mother and Molly.”

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry about our trip.”

“We’re still going.”

“Brian I have to be at the…”

“The funeral’s Thursday. Cyn pushed the flight back by a couple of hours. You still need to get away.”

“I can’t just.”

“We’re going.”

“I think…”

“Don’t. Just let me get you the fuck out of here.”

Justin slumped and took the coffee Brian was offering him. “I think maybe I’d like that.”

“I think I’d like that.”

“This sucks.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop it.”

“Shower?’

Brian took his hand and led him towards the bathroom. He pushed his coat off his shoulders. “No shirt, brilliant.”

“Wasn’t thinking.”

“Start thinking.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Then I’ll keep your mind occupied.”

“Mmmmmm” Justin leaned in and kissed Brian. When they’d finally stripped and were in the shower they didn’t emerge again until there was no hot water left. They collapsed on the bed. Naked, damp, clean, tired.

“We could probably go later.”

“Okay.”

“I think I still need some sleep.”

“Okay.”

“You know you’re an idiot.”

“Okay.”

Justin turned onto his side to face Brian. “I mean it. You think you’re this useless unemotional shell. But you always manage to be there for me, even if you won’t let me be there for you.”

“I’m here now.”

“You’ve always been there.”

“Opinions vary.”

“Just let me love you for a minute without your arguing against it.”

Brian looked over at the clock. “You’ve got a minute. Go.”

Justin smiled and buried his face into the crook of Brian's neck. “I love you.”

Brian wrapped his arm around him, running his fingers through his damp blonde hair. He said nothing. He’d promised him a minute of not arguing the point. He kept his promises.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Aaron was not fine. He looked as bad as Justin. They killed some stuff on the play station joylessly. Brian talked to Alicia in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s a shock.”

“You don’t seem upset.”

“I said goodbye to Craig a long time ago. I’d let myself hope for a while but after what he did to Aaron…”

“And you.”

“That honestly was an accident.”

“So was this.”

“I know.”

“Does Aaron?”

“I think he does. I think he thought that he’d have time though. He hoped that his father would come around and calm down.”

“I think Justin was hoping for the same thing.”

“He wasn’t going to.”

“No.”

“He’d been angry too long.”

“Yes.”

“That kind of anger is destructive.”

“Apparently.”

“You’re glad he’s gone.”

“I’m glad he can’t hurt anyone.”

“He still can.”

“Yeah I guess he can.”

“I’m surprised that the funeral is so soon.”

“His mother made the arrangements.”

“Craig’s mother?”

Brian shrugged “that’s what Jennifer said.”

“How’s molly.”

“I don’t know. Justin wants to go see her later.”

“I’m glad he came to see Aaron. I’m glad you both did.”

“He’s a good kid.”

“You told me once that remains to be seen.”

“I’ve seen it. He’s basically okay. Stupid. But that’s just because he’s sixteen.”

“I’m sure you were brilliant even then.”

Brian chuckled a little. “I’m pretty sure I’m lucky to still be alive.”

“You had someone to look out for you.”

“Yeah, I did. I had Michael. And Debbie.”

Alicia nodded and Brian looked at her. “Jenn tells you a lot doesn’t she?”

Alicia nodded again. “She likes you.”

“Just recently.”

“Well, in all fairness.”

“I’ve never blamed her. She was right not to trust me.”

“She convinced me I could trust you.”

“She’s got a blind spot now.”

“I think you do. You realize you’ve probably saved Aaron and Justin a lot of pain.”

Brian said nothing. He took finished his coffee and headed back to the living room to see what they were killing now. 

“You’re mother’s waiting Sunshine.”

“What? Oh yeah. Aaron, I’ve got to go. I’ll um…see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

They both looked less than happy as Brian and Justin walked out. “You want to go back? Your mother can wait.”

“I need to see Molly.”

“Has she met Aaron?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. She avoids those Deb things. And that’s where their paths would most likely cross.”

“She knows about him though?”  


“Yeah. I think. Fuck. Yeah. She must.”

“Well as long as you’re sure.”

“Shut up.”

They each lit a cigarette and drove to the other side of the city. Justin seemed to freeze once they’d parked.

“Hey. You still with me?’

“What? Oh, yeah. Just… I don’t’ know. Hope my mom’s okay.”

“Yeah. C’mon.”

Things were stilted. Jennifer was okay if you didn’t look too hard. She had a vodka tonic that she kept refilling. She couldn’t seem to sit still. She kept checking her messages for seemingly no reason. 

Justin finally pulled her by the arm until she sat down next to him. “You okay?”

“Your grandmother keeps calling with questions.”

“You want me to talk to her?’

“And say what? She wants to know what kind of flowers. She wants to know how many people. I don’t think she ever really understood that we were divorced.”

“She liked you.”

“I liked her.”

“It was dad you didn’t like.”

“That’s not fair Justin. I loved him once.”

“I know. But you had to stop liking him at some point.”

“I stopped liking him at several points.”

“Did you ever think you two would get back together?”

Jenn laughed then. “No. Not really. He really changed after…”

“After I came out.”

“No. After he and I disagreed on what it meant to love your children.”

“Same thing.”

“Not at all. I couldn’t love a man who didn’t love his own kids. The fact that they happened to be my kids. That I happened to know you were…” she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I just wanted him to recognize what he was doing. He never saw it as anything other than him being right and me being too close to you.”

“That’s why you got divorced.”

“No. And I know you think that. And I’ve told you this before. You were not the reason we got divorced.”

“Was it because he was a cheating bastard?"

Jennifer laughed a little. “That was a big part of it.”

“You’d be set now financially if you hadn’t left him.”

“I’m set financially now. And I had to leave him.”

“Do you miss him?’

“I miss the man he used to be. The one in college. The one who had a panic attack the night we bought the old house.”

“He did?”

“He was sure that the mortgage on the two new stores plus this and Molly on the way was going to break us.”

“I barely remember where we lived before that.”

“It was just a starter house. Only three bedrooms. We never planned to stay there.”

“I liked our old house.”

“It was nice.”

“I like this place too.”

“It’s become home.”

“That’s hard. Making someplace home.”

“How ‘bout you. You feeling at home in your new place.”

“My lease is almost up. It’s hardly new.”

“Are you staying?"

“No.”

Brian and Jenn both looked at him. “You’re moving?”

“I’m not going back.”

“What?”

Jennifer looked at Brian who was clearly angry. “What the fuck do you mean you’re not going back?"

“I want to be here.”

“Here where?’

“With you, at the loft.”

Brian turned away. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“What’s to talk about? You said I could come back whenever I wanted.”

“I meant it.”

“So I want.”

“So okay. But we still need to talk.”

“Okay but you’re not going to change my mind.”

Jennifer was confused. She knew Brian missed Justin. She’d never pretend to understand their relationship but Brian seemed to not want Justin to come home. That she didn’t understand at all. Last month she would have bet Molly’s college fund that Brian would actually smile at news like this. She stayed out of it. 

She’d learned a while ago that her opinion didn’t factor when it came to things like this. When it came to Brian and Justin, they’d argue, bicker, fight, and eventually they did exactly what they wanted, or at least agreed upon.

Justin was reaching a hand to Brian, who took it absentmindedly. “Molly’s still asleep. We should go.”

He leaned over and kissed his mother “I’ll see you tomorrow mom.”

She nodded. “I have to call your grandmother and remind her that he hated carnations.

“Well at least I know what to send.” Brian said as he headed out to the car. Justin got in and waited.

Brian didn’t say anything.

“Aren’t you going to say something?”

“About what?”

“Me moving back?”

Brian noticed that Justin still hadn’t called it home.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

“I’m pretty sure Lee will buy my futon. I guess we can put the bed in storage or if there’s room put it in the guest room in the new downstairs. There’s really not much worth packing and shipping. My clothes of course, and some unfinished canvases.

“Justin. Your father just died.”

“I know that.”

“We’re not deciding this now.”

“It’s already decided.”

“You love New York.”

“I love you more.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither is New York.”

Brian lit a cigarette. “If you still want to talk about this when we get back we can.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Okay.”

“Wanna go out tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Tomorrow’s gonna suck.”

“But by tomorrow night we’ll be someplace tropical and warm.”

“That won’t suck.”

Brian nodded in agreement.

This vacation was going to suck. Justin was giving up. He couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let Justin move back to a place he didn’t even consider home because he suddenly felt too alone, or vulnerable, or guilty. And Brian had a feeling it was a combination of all three.

He had to do this but he wasn’t sure he had the strength to let him go again. He wanted him to be here. He wanted him to come home. He would be thrilled if it weren’t for one small problem. Justin didn’t really want to be here. This wasn’t Justin’s home.

He steeled himself for this. The funeral would be a piece of cake. Pushing Justin away was going to be difficult.


	27. Chapter 27

  
Author's notes:

reviews are fun

futher comments and discussions at my LJ site

vamphile

http://vamphile.livejournal.com/ 

* * *

Brothers Keeper 27

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

* * *

Brian packed for their trip while Justin showered. They had gone to Woody’s last night and gotten comfortably numb. They’d caught up with Michael and Emmett and Gordon. Ted stayed for a couple drinks but left somewhere right after Michael started whining. Brian just drank through it the way he usually did.

Justin had been quiet. He’d been quiet when they got back to the loft. He’d been quiet when they fucked, gently, softly, but still with a heat Brian could take some comfort in. neither had said anything this morning. They had a long day to get through before they could leave for someplace where all of this might seem to matter a little less.

He zipped up the suitcase and made coffee. He wasn’t going to force it. If Justin wasn’t ready to talk yet…well, now was not the time.

At the funeral home Justin held tightly to his hand as they walked from the car into the thickly dimly lit building. Brian hovered outside the room while Justin slipped in and hugged Molly who was crying. Aaron stepped in to take one last look at his father and Justin put an arm around him.

Alicia, Brian and Jennifer all stood outside. This part was for immediate family only… none of them quite counted as that. Justin’s grandmother seemed to take the lead. Talking to the funeral director, holding herself together seemingly by sheer force of will. Brian wondered fleetingly if that’s where Justin came by his strength. All this time he’d assumed he’d gotten that from Jenn.

When they finally let others in Brian was surprised by how many others there were. “Mostly business associates and other members of the country club.” Jenn whispered to him. Brian nodded. 

Jenn took a seat in the row behind Justin and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He rested his own hand over hers for a minute and then went back to nodding and accepting the condolences of people he didn’t even know. 

Brian knew somewhere in the back of his head, Justin was registering the whispers and buzz that was all etiquette would allow while these people rehashed what they new about Craig’s “prodigal son”.

Aaron and Alicia sat next to Jenn. Now was not the time to announce their presence in Craig’s life. Brian stood in the back. He wasn’t here to make a scene. He watched as Justin looked around and caught his eye. He saw him smile just a little, and knew it was an empty gesture. Jennifer got up and approached him.

“Come sit next to me.”

“I don’t think…”

“I think Justin needs you right now.”

Brian nodded and followed, sitting behind him and resisting the very strong urge to run his fingers through the soft hair on Justin’s neck. To lay a hand on his shoulder, to hold him tight and promise it would be okay. He saw Justin’s head turn and the smile was more genuine this time. He did lean forward then. 

“You okay?”

Justin nodded a little. “Want to get out of here.”

“Soon.”

“I know.”

Brian leaned back and Jennifer squeezed his hand a little. His face didn’t change expression.

They talked forever. The pastor from his church, a couple of men he’d worked with, a few others. Brian lost count, and interest, what little he’d had of it in the first place. 

When they finally took the casket to the hearse, Brian followed the line of traffic in his car. He wanted Justin here with him but his grandmother had insisted he go in the limo with her. 

He stood behind him again as they said a few more words and Justin threw some dirt on the box. Justin kissed his mom, hugged Aaron, hugged Molly and pulled Brian away. “Now. We’re going now.”

Brian followed him. And got in the passenger seat. He’d expected Justin to drive… he always preferred it when things were too far out of his control.

He maneuvered carefully out of the cemetery and lit a cigarette the moment they were on the road. “That sucked.”

“It was a funeral.”

“I almost spit on his grave.”

“We can go back and do that later if you want.”

“No need. I’m done with him.”

“Okay.”

“I know you don’t believe me but I am.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not getting in a fight with you Brian. What time does our plane leave?”

“Three hours.”

“Good. I’m heading to the airport. You pack sunscreen?”

“Yes. Wasn’t planning on watching you burst into flames.”

Justin shot him a familiar look and Brian relaxed a little. No. He wasn’t over his father or done with him…but he was regaining his balance.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“Puerto Vallarta.”

“Sounds nice, Cyn book it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I don’t want to go someplace where I can’t touch you in public.”

“What place would that be?”

“Someplace full of old ugly straight people.”

“Nope, this will be full of old ugly queers.”

“Excellent. Let’s leave them drooling.”

“Don’t we always?”

“I really hated him a lot.”

“I know.”

“It shouldn’t hurt that he’s dead.”

“It will anyway.”

“It’s stupid.”

“Yeah. But it still happens.”

“What did you do when your dad died?”

“I went bowling.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. I went bowling.”

“Okay. I don’t want to go bowling.”

“I didn’t say we should.”

“I want to…”

Brian looked over at Justin in time to see him swipe at a tear. 

“Fuck.”

“It’s okay.”

“I hated him.”

“That was healthy.”

“Then why am I sad?”

“That’s healthy too.”

“You’d make a lousy therapist.”

“Good thing I have a job.”

“Brian.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Shut up.”

“Mmm”  
  


“You think Aaron’s gonna be okay?”

Brian said nothing. Justin looked over at him. “Do you think Aaron’s gonna be okay?”

“Eyes on the road. You told me to shut up.”

“I mean um… I don’t know what the fuck I mean. Now answer the question.”

“I don’t know. I think he still had a lot more hope for Craig than you did. He had a lot less time to get used to him being evil.”

“He wasn’t evil.”

“He wasn’t a good man.”

“No. Really wasn’t. We’re gonna have to help Aaron.”

“I gave him a job. I buy him drinks. What more do you want me to do?”

“You haven’t gotten him laid?”

“I have no idea. I don’t pry that deep into what he’s doing.”

“But there’s no way he’s never been fucked.”

“Maybe he’s a top.”

“Ewww, why are we talking about this?”

“Because you brought it up.”

“Okay, I’m un bringing it up.”

“Good.”

“This place we’re going. Private beach?”

“And a pool.”

“Cool. Fuck.”

“What?”

I meant to buy a bathing suit this week. I don’t have one.

“I saw that when I packed.”

“Did you bother to pack me any clothes at all or am I gonna be naked the whole trip?”

“I packed your clothes. If you were naked the whole trip you’d fry. I can’t fuck you if I can’t touch you.”

“Good point.”

“They sell bathing suits in Puerto Vallarta.”

“Well then we’re okay.”

“Private beach, private pool. You don’t really need one.”

“How private. Not really looking to have a bunch of ugly old queens perving over my ass.”

“I thought you liked it when old guys perved on you.”

“You’re not old.”

“I’m not the only one who wants your ass.”

“Yeah but you’re the only old guy who doesn’t squick me.”

“Even Matt?”

“Matt’s a year older than I, not the same thing. And we’re friends. You don’t fuck your friends.”

“Does that mean we’re not friends.”

“We’re not. Well not JUST friends, we could never do that.”

“Never?”

“Nope, our chemistry is insane. We’d be friends for like, ten minutes, then I’d touch you and we’d be fucking.”

“You can’t resist me?”

“ _You_ can’t resist _me_

“You sure about that?”

“You want to test it.”

Brian seemed to consider it. “No. Not this weekend.”

“When we get back we close on the new space?”

“Yeah. And then…”

“Don’t start.”

“Didn’t say a word.”

“I’m not going back to New York.”

“Okay.”

“I know you don’t want me here. Rage is doing okay. The stuff I’ve got going with Paul is bringing in almost real money, and more soon. I can get my own place.”

“Fuck that, I’m paying all this money to build an addition to the loft.”

“I’m gonna make a deal with you.”

Brian raised an eyebrow and Justin put a hand on his knee. “We get to the suite. I watch you unpack like the anal retentive obsessive compulsive you are…” Justin squeezed Brian’s knee to keep him from debating the point “we drink three or four rum based, fruity tropical concoctions that are too queer for even Emmett. And then if you really want to, we’ll talk about the logistics of my moving back.”

Brian nodded. “Deal.”

They had almost half an hour to kill before checking in once they got to the airport. Justin decided he wanted to find a decent book to read on the beach. Brian didn’t say a word. If Justin wasn’t ready he wasn’t going to push it. He’d buried his father less than an hour ago.

Justin chose a couple of cheap suspense thriller novels and a biography of George Washington. “Planning on doing THAT much reading in three days?”

Justin shrugged. “I want options.”

Brian nodded and took the books to the counter. Justin hip checked him lightly, added a couple packs of gum to his purchases and pulled out his own credit card. 

“Way less than two hundred dollars.” Brian whispered into his ear, wrapping his arms around Justin’s waist and glaring at the balding cashier who was looking at them funny.

“So then I can definitely afford it.”

“Whatever.”

“You gonna get upset about this?”

“No.”

“I’ll let you pay for the bathing suit.”

“I don’t wanna pay for that.”

“Okay, then I’ll pay for it myself.”

Brian growled in his ear and Justin smiled. “Stop it. We don’t have time.”

“We have two hours before the plane takes off.”

“But we have to…”

“Ever seen the bathrooms in the first class club?”

“Duh, you always fly me first class.”

“Ever seen one when you weren’t looking to avoid the hot flight attendants.”

“Why are you so sure I avoid them.”

“I know you. You hate a man in uniform.”

“I don’t know. Dijon fills one out nicely.”

Brian stepped back… “You and Dijon?”  
  


Justin smirked and shrugged one shoulder teasingly. 

“You talk to Emmett too much.”

“You don’t know that. He’s really dedicated to his job.”

“Maybe we can catch him between flights.”

“Maybe.”

Brian held him tighter as Justin signed the receipt and took his bag. “Lets go check in, so we can check out the club.”

They checked their baggage. Justin kept his carryon with him. He looked inside. “You didn’t pack my laptop.”

“Or mine. No working this weekend.”

“I was gonna…”

“You were gonna do a bunch of shit that you’re supposed to leave at home.”

“But you brought your blackberry?”

“I have a business to run.”

“So do I.”

“You can send email on your phone too.”

“Oh yeah. Hey, how many sketchbooks did you pack?”

“I picked up a few fresh ones and I have no idea where your pastels were so I had to buy some.”

“You’re really um…”

“Sweet?”

“Controlling. But in a sweet way.”

They sat in a comfortable quiet for a while. Each nursing a beer. Justin reading one of his new novels, Brian pretending to read the Washington biography while glancing towards Justin occasionally. He seemed okay. He seemed fine. It made Brian nervous.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin never did find the energy to fuck Brian in the bathroom at the airport. And he never really did fuck Dijon… although he had the opportunity. He just wasn’t all that interested at the time. It was fun to play with Brian’s head though.

He was tired. Drained. All he really wanted to do was get to the suite and fall asleep. He knew there was a lot of bullshit Brian wanted to say to him. He knew Brian didn’t’ want him to come home. And he knew Brian had reasons that he considered perfectly valid, but then again he knew Brian. Brian’s logic could be really really twisted and yet seem to make perfect sense at times. What he knew best is that whatever conversation they had, he needed to be alert and ready for it… he wasn’t today and he hoped he could put it off for a bit while he gathered his own strength and made his own arguments clear in his head.

Brian must be feeling the strain too. Justin thought as he glanced over and realized Brian was asleep in the seat next to him. He opened his book and couldn’t concentrate…too many thoughts.

He pulled out his sketchpad and turned to the back page. He started to list all of the benefits to moving back. There were a lot of them. He listed all the arguments against it that he thought Brian could come up with and began to draw lines from one to the other, creating an intricate pattern of reasons, deflections, benefits, drawbacks and possible compromises.

When he sat back to survey his work the words were barely legible and each one seemed to have lines spidering out from each side. He sighed and wondered when life had gotten so complicated. He should probably have stayed in Pittsburgh. He’d be a busy little housewife who could paint in his spare time. 

He pushed back the thoughts of how bored he’d be. He pushed away any thought of how much that wasn’t what he wanted. Right now… it sounded really good.

The captain announced that they’d be landing soon and Justin shut his sketchbook. He didn’t want Brian to see his arguments before he’d had a chance to plan a strategy.

They joked and smiled as they got off the plane and found their luggage. Brian grabbed a cab and Justin must have fallen asleep. The warm soft, muggy air soothing in comparison to the chill that Pittsburgh held in late October. When Brian woke him up they were at the villa.

Justin was more than awake now. The place was beautiful. There were drinks waiting for them…fruity and sweet, with a couple of tropical flowers for good measure. Justin took one and wandered around the place while Brian unpacked. Justin sat down on the bed, finishing his drink. 

“You’re gonna pass out on me.”

“One drink, I think I can handle it.”

“You haven’t eaten anything today.”

“I had um… peanuts on the plane.”

“Then never mind.”

“I’m gonna take a nap before dinner.”

“That’s very different from passing out.”

“Shut up and join me.”

“Not tired.”

Justin held Brian’s gaze while he slowly pulled off the blue shirt he’d worn to his father’s funeral. He didn’t look away while he undid his belt and dropped the black pants he’d been wearing. He’d left his shoes somewhere downstairs along with his socks. He was slowly removing his underwear…his eyes never wavering. He sat on the edge of the bed now and leaned back on his arms. “Suit yourself.”

Brian moved towards him with determination. “You want to play?”

Justin smiled. “Well, I guess I’m not _that_ tired.”

Brian unbuttoned his own shirt and left his suitcase in a state of half unpacked dishabille. He pushed Justin back against the cool cotton sheets. Pinning his arms above his head. He leaned in and kissed him.

Justin thought he might come before they even got started. The intensity in Brian’s eyes. The feeling of warm air from the open patio door against his skin. The feeling of Brian’s body against his. And then Brian slid his tongue between Justin’s teeth and he moaned into Brian’s mouth. Thrusting his hips, needing the friction. The feeling of Brian’s soft dress pants against his arousal was bliss. He wrapped his legs around Brian’s thighs and kissed back, sucking on Brian’s bottom lip. Unable to think beyond this moment. Not really wanting to.

Brian pulled away from him and Justin opened his eyes. Relived to see that he just needed some space to remove his own pants. Soon they were naked together. Justin was intent on savoring the moment. If he thought too much about the fact that they’d finally gotten away alone together, he might believe he’d died and gone to heaven.

Of course if Brian kept torturing him like this hell might be more accurate.

He saw Brian open a dresser beside the bed and pull out lube and a condom. He raised an eyebrow. Brian kissed him again. “Cyn.” Justin needed no more explanation. He arched his back, planting his feet firmly on the bed and sliding forward. Brian moved his body towards him. 

Justin could feel Brian's mouth on his chest, and Brian's fingers preparing him. He didn’t need to think. His body followed unspoken instructions. In the same way any good dancer can lead, Brian did. And in the way any really connected couple can anticipate each other’s next step, Justin followed flawlessly. When he was coherent again. When his brain was getting more than the minimal necessary blood to keep him from passing out, he’d think about things like that. Right now he just knew he needed to move his legs up. He needed Brian inside him and Brian needed to be there. And he felt his ankles rest on Brian's shoulders.

He felt Brian’s strong hands and long fingers stroke his hip and his calf as he turned his head and kissed the knobby bone on his ankle. Justin moaned again, ready to beg if it came to that. He looked at Brian then, and Brian must have read the need in his eyes

He felt the blood rushing through him. Each heartbeat pounding against his chest, in his ears, making his cock throb. Then Brian’s fingers were inside him again, forceful and he arched into them moving and rocking with the rhythm Brian set. 

When Brian pulled his fingers out and plunged himself inside in a single smooth thrust Justin let out a yelp. He felt split in half and pulled apart and it was wonderful. He loved those moments. The raw power of their need overtook the both of them. But in this above all things he had complete faith in Brian. He might shatter into a million pieces but Brian would find every last one, and pull him back together again. It’s why it was always so perfect. He could let go. He could shatter.

And then Brian started to move inside him. His hands were everywhere, his long hard cock was sliding into him and as he moved his hips he pushed impossibly deeper. He heard Brian’s deep guttural sounds combine with his breathing. His body was covered in a silky sheen of sweat and Justin knew he’d never been more beautiful. He reached for him then. Needing to touch him. To feel him against his chest. To let his skin slide like silk under his hands. To feel his hair slide around his fingers. His rough tongue against his. And Brian gave him all of that.

There was nothing now. Nothing but the surf pounding two stories below in their back yard. Nothing but their hearts pounding harder than the surf and their bodies perfectly aligned. Light against dark. Moving together. Justin pulled Brian towards him… closer. Never close enough always closer. And when he felt his orgasm build Brian felt it too. He picked up the pace. Pulling Justin forward, stroking him and holding him, folded in half as if he wanted to slip him in his pocket and keep him there. And Justin came. He came as Brian stroked him quickly, he bit his lip to keep from screaming, and ended up whimpering and gasping as Brian continued to thrust into him, his own orgasm taking control he dropped Justin back against the mattress and held Justin’s calves tightly.

Justin knew he might have bruises there tomorrow but he didn’t care. He’d sport them happily. Let everyone know that this beautiful man had fucked him hard, with passion and need. And when Brian collapsed half on him, half on the mattress he sighed and ran a hand through Brian’s sweaty hair. “I love you.”

“Mmmmfff” Brian replied and Justin smiled. Yeah. He knew, Brian loved him too.

When Justin woke up Brian was back to unpacking.

We’re only gonna be here for a couple of days why even bother?”

Brian ignored him and finished. Justin lay back on the bed, naked and sated, for the moment. “We could do something more interesting.”

Brian turned to him and shook his head as he went back to refolding things and putting them in drawers. “Nice try. I’ll fuck you AFTER I’ve gotten this shit put away.”

“You’re really demented you know.”

“You’ve said.’

“So have others.”

Brian put away the last of Justin’s t-shirt and pulled the sunscreen out. “Grab a pair of shorts, lets go to the beach.”

“I need a bathing suit.”

“Private beach.”

“Brian.”

“Tomorrow.”

“By tomorrow every queer in queerville will have seen me naked.”

Brian sighed. “Fine. Bathing suit. Dinner. Drinks. Then we’ll go to the beach, which will be dark, and every queer in queerville will have to bring their own flashlight.”

Justin smiled. “Mmm dinner. I’m starving.”

Brian rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I haven’t eaten all day.”

“You’re right… but it didn’t keep you from polishing off two of those sticky sweet rum concoctions.”

“One.”

Brian looked at him. 

“Okay two but they were small and it seemed rude not to.”

Brian shrugged. “Lets go.”

Justin put on a pair of shorts and a bright white t-shirt.

Brian looked amazing in pale cream linen pants and a light blue linen shirt. They walked down together and Justin leaned over to kiss him.

“Thank you.”

Brian arched an eyebrow.

“For the vacation. Even if we turned around and got on a plane now, I’d still feel better.”

“So all you needed was to be fucked hard somewhere warm?”

“Well, it’s not all I need, but it’s a start.”

Brian agreed. It was.

In the third shop they found a bathing suit they could agree upon. In reality by the third shop Justin was so bored he would have agreed to almost anything. He’d drawn the line at a thong… and then they’d bickered some more over colors and finally Justin gave up and Brian approved of something Justin didn’t despise. They both agreed on a place for dinner because neither had eaten much that day. Justin continued to suck down the rum things that Brian swore were little more than melted lollipops. He himself stuck to straight rum.

When the music started Justin pulled Brian up to dance with him. He was drunk. They both were drunk, and still people stared. Together they were beautiful.

By the time they got back to the villa Justin could almost forget that a little over twelve hours ago they put his father in the ground.

The warm breezes and salty smell of the ocean drove away Brian’s immediate need to confront Justin about giving up his New York dreams.

They fell together on the bed. 

“I thought you wanted to go to the beach,” Brian said, running a hand through Justin’s hair.

“Tomorrow, when we can see it. Right now…I want you to fuck me.”

“You’re pretty sure about what you want.”

“Mmm, rum in melted lollipops clarifies things like that.”

“Really?”

“Really, see the sugar helps my body to get the alcohol to my brain even faster. That way I can stay drunker for longer periods of time.”

“Well, good. I always wanted an angry dumb blonde twink lush.”

“Hey, I’m not angry any more.”

Brian laughed.

“And I’m not dumb. Hey!”

“What?”

“you’re being inslu…sluntin…um…inslutting.”

“Inslutting?”

“Shut up, I’m drunk, but in the morning, I’ll be sober, and you’ll still be an asshole.” Justin's words were slurring badly at this point.

“I’m not sure you’ll ever be sober again.”

“That would rock.”

“Really?”

Justin rolled off of Brian and lay on his back. He suddenly looked a little green. “You okay?”

“Yeah, spun too fast. I’m okay now.”

“You didn’t spin.”

“I know, the world did. But it stopped. And it’d be cool to be drunk like this forever. Everything is nice here like this.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s all hazy and you can’t argue with me ‘cause I’m too drunk to defend myself so the whole bullshit thing you’re gonna go into about not coming home is just not gonna happen tonight.”

Brian said nothing. Even drunk the kid was smart. And drunk…. he’d called it home. Then again, he’d told Justin he loved him that first night they fucked…because he was wasted on some generic E. Then again, he might have loved Justin that long. Brian realized he might be as drunk as Justin and it was a really bad time to start thinking.

“The world still spinning?”

“I can’t tell. The bed’s not anymore.”

“That’s good.”

“Brian?”

“Hmmm?”

“Fuck me.”

Brian laughed. He really didn’t need to be asked, or more reason than that Justin wanted him to. But there were a thousand reasons he wanted to and they all seemed pretty good.

He stood up and felt himself sway. He ignored it. And glanced at the bottle of water next to the bed. Good. He’d drink that, right after he…

He looked down at the bed again and Justin was naked on his knees, his head pushed into the mattress and his hands pulling himself apart. He was very drunk. He was also very hot.

Brian pulled a condom out of his pocket and dropped his pants. He was inside Justin within moments and had no energy or brain cells left for games. He pounded into him hard and fast. They fucked like animals and the noises Justin made each time Brian pulled out completely and pushed back in drove the intensity higher. He listened while Justin mewled and moaned. He felt Justin spread his legs under him as he pushed in deeper. He grabbed his hips and slid him forward and back on the bed, watching as his hands grappled for something to grasp and came up empty. He pulled him forward then, bringing his back up against his torso and pulling out almost completely again before thrusting with savage force.

He was biting Justin’s ear, his neck, his shoulders. He felt Justin's hands behind his head pulling him down to bite harder to move faster. Pulling them together.

He felt him come and came hard as well. Justin was panting and turned around kissing Brian as his heart was still pounding and his eyes were still dilated from the intensity of his orgasm.

"You think you know everything Brian but I know this. There’s nothing better. No one better. I don’t want to be away from you, away from __this_ _ anymore. There’s only so much time. I want mine with you."

Brian was going to respond but Justin fell backwards then and snuggled his head against the pillow. “Sleepy.”

Brian ran a hand through his hair. Not sure if a single argument he had could work against the pure powerful gut wrenching honesty of the last proclamation. He didn’t think about it too long. He pulled Justin towards him and heard him actually giggle in his sleep. And then he slept too. It would all be fine, whatever _it_ turned out to be. He’d make sure of it.

* * *

[](http://www.puertovallartavillarentals.com/casa_de_las_lomas/index.html)

[Casa De Las Lomas In Puerto Vallarta ](http://www.puertovallartavillarentals.com/casa_de_las_lomas/index.html)

* * *

[](%E2%80%9D<a)


	28. Chapter 28

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

* * *

The light was bright. Annoyingly bright. Why the fuck was it so goddamned bright? Justin opened his eyes, hoping to focus on something other than the sunlight that bled through his eyelids. Then he remembered where he was. Then he remembered the melted lollipops with rum. Then he groaned.

He drank half of the now warm bottle of water next to the bed and went to the bathroom. He finished by splashing cold water on his face but the day was already humid and the sun was baking the room and for a moment he thought he was gonna hurl. He brushed his teeth and felt a little better.

He pulled on a pair of drawstring linen pants that were so light in weight and color they did little for privacy or decency or what the fuck ever. He grabbed his sketchpad and pencils and curled up on a chair outside on the patio. They had a perfect view of the ocean and he pulled his pastels out of his bag and tried to capture the blue, the green, the light, the bright, the small forest of dark where the trees shaded a spot of the long stretch of sand.

He considered walking there with Brian. It seemed like the perfect place for a long salty sweaty fuck before they cooled themselves in the blue blue blue water. He was lost in that thought when Brian’s hands, warm and slippery were on his shoulders.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Sunscreen.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

“And you’re already getting red, how long have you been out here?”

Justin shrugged a little and then lay back as Brian worked the lotion into his chest. He closed his eyes. “I don’t know I took my watch off. Vacation.”

“Yeah. Not much of one if you’re in the hospital with sun poisoning.”

“You’re over protective. You know that right?”

“You’ve got skin like a baby’s ass. You know that right.”

“And a brain to match?”

“Stop it. Never said you were stupid.”

Justin snorted and Brian was straddling him now and continuing to massage Justin’s chest. “You’re not stupid.”

“I know. Mmm. That feels really good.”

Brian’s hands were becoming more insistent and moving lower, skimming the waistband of Justin’s barely there pants. “How’s your head?”

Justin bucked forward a little pushing his erection towards Brian’s naked ass. “You can’t tell.”

Brian flicked him in the forehead with his fingers. “I meant your actual head. You drank a lot last night.”

“So did you. How’s yours?”

“This sun is too fucking bright.”

“I know, but it’s so warm. It’s good. Pittsburgh was getting cold.”

“They’re making breakfast.”

“Or lunch, what the fuck time is it?”

“Little before noon. Brunch I guess.”

“Food sounds good.”

“We’ve got time.”

Brian’s fingers found the tie on Justin’s pants and slowly pulled at the cord until they were pooling around his waist leaving easy access. He lifted himself up just enough to pull them below Justin's ass. He moved his own body down lifting Justin's legs over his own and straddling the deck chair. He carefully continued his application of sunscreen while Justin kept his eyes closed. Brian slathered it all over Justin's skin, rubbing it in softly and luxuriating in the soft sounds Justin made as his hands slid all over him.

He carefully massaged his calves, his thighs, his hips, his stomach, and watched as Justin moved, trying to get him to pay more attention to his obvious need. Brian wasn’t ready to give him that attention quite yet. 

Justin’s moans and movements became more insistent and Brian eventually did squeeze the cool liquid directly onto Justin’s cock and heard him gasp. He grasped it firmly in his fist then and stroked it slowly. “Don’t want you getting sunburned here. That would be bad.”

“Bad.” Justin agreed. His hips were rocking with Brian’s hand. He reached down to touch Brian and reciprocate but he’d have to sit up, and move and fuck that. He just let Brian's soft gentle strokes soothe him. 

Brian put the lotion onto Justin’s hand. “Make sure you get your face. I’m not fucking the elephant man with bit red patches and peeling skin.”

Justin smiled and massaged the stuff into his face as Brian continued to leisurely jerk him off. “You’re beautiful.”

Justin didn’t say anything. He just arched his back into Brian’s hands, one so intent on getting him off, the other so intent on making sure none of his skin was left unprotected from the rays of the sun.

Brian sped his movements up and Justin’s whimpers became gasps and his gasps became moans and his moans became grunts and then he came. All over himself, all over Brian’s hand.

Brian continued to massage the cream into Justin's skin and Justin kept his eyes closed. Enjoying the multiple sensations of the hot sun beating down on him, the warmth of Brian’s skin against his own legs. The soft feel of Brian’s hand on his skin. The thudding of his heard slowing to a more regular pace.

Brian stood up then. He gently lowered the back of the chair until Justin was flat on his back. “Roll over.”

Justin didn’t need to be asked twice.

Brian continued to ensure that he was well protected from the sun. Sunscreen application may have been Brian’s primary objective, but with Justin’s bare ass splayed out on the chair it wasn’t his only one.

Justin let his head sink into the pillow that padded the lounge chair as Brian’s large hands spanned his waist and slid gently up to his shoulders. They massaged every muscle, slipping down his sides and coating his entire body until he felt like he might just slide off the chair. His hands moved lower and were concentrating on the back of his legs now. They skimmed his calves, and gracefully up and down along his hips. Justin did his best not to giggle as Brian even covered his feet with the damn stuff. 

By the time Brian was massaging it into his ass Justin was hard again. As Brian’s slippery fingers slid inside him he was beyond thought. Rutting against the pillow and pushing back on Brian’s hand. 

He felt Brian pushing into him, felt his entire body covered in the wonderful scent of insanely expensive oil free sunscreen and the even better scent of Brian himself as he draped himself over his smaller body and pushed his way inside him.

“Not fair.”

Brian was kissing his ear. “What’s not?”

“How the fuck can you do that to me? Make me want you while you’re being Mr. Protective guy.”

“Shut up and let me fuck you.”

“Okay.”

Brian moved slowly. He was in no hurry apparently. Justin was. He wanted to come again. Brian seemed intent on prolonging things. Moving in torturously slow and languid strokes. It felt so good but Justin knew it would take them forever to get off this way. He started to push back. Let his body send the signals that he wanted more, faster, harder.

Brian was softly licking at his neck, his fingers interlaced with Justin's. “Let it happen Justin. Some things are worth waiting for.”

Justin sighed then and trusted Brian. He pushed back his impatience and simply melted against the soft feel of skin on skin. The warm breezes. The sound of the ocean below. And Brian didn’t speed up the pace for a while. He continued a slow gentle fuck until Justin felt Brian’s body stiffen a little. The rhythm changed, just a little, and Brian’s hand slid between the cushion and his dick Justin thrust against Brian's open and slick palm and when he finally came he felt Brian’s orgasm follow soon after.

He moaned then and Brian seemed to know what he wanted. He stayed inside him. Turning them both to the side so that his weight wouldn’t crush him. 

Justin held Brian's hand when his arm wrapped around his waist. “I love you.”

Brian mumbled something into the back of Justin’s neck.

Ten minutes later they were both able to think clearly enough to realize that breakfast, or brunch or whatever sounded good.

They made their way downstairs, both bare-chested. Brian in a pair of old jeans and Justin in what he now decided were his new favorite pants.

Brian couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of him.

“What?”

“You may as well be naked.”

“So?’

”Not complaining.”

They sat down to breakfast and Justin tried to hide his smile…it didn’t work.

“Won’t work you know?”

“What won’t?”

“You can’t distract me with those pants. We still have to talk.”

Justin sighed a little and poured himself some juice. “I know, and we will, but I need to call Aaron and Molly.”

“Always looking after others.” Brian tsk’d.

“Hi, pot, it’s the kettle…you’re black.”

Brian laughed a little and let Justin make the calls while he showered.

Justin was at the pool when he came back downstairs. Apparently he’d lost his desire to wear a bathing suit.

Brian leaned over and kissed him. Justin put his book down and kissed him back. “How are Aaron and Molly?”

“Molly apparently sleeps eighteen hours a day.”

“Are you sure she’s not just sneaking out and letting your mom think she’s sleeping?”

“Um… no.”

“I am.”

“Why?’

“Because the thought that she’s not means you’ll go chasing her around too.”

“So she’s home and asleep…lets go with that.”

“Okay.”

“Aaron says he’s okay. He may still be in shock.”

“And you?”

Justin shrugged and pretended to be reading his book again. “I’m okay too.”

“You may still be in shock.”

“When the shock wears off, I’ll probably still be happy.”

“You’re happy?”

“Is that wrong?”

“No. I just…”

“What?”

Brian leaned back in his own chair. “I don’t want you to give up.”

Justin turned to look at him. “Give up what?”

“Anything.”

Justin laughed. “Brian, I’ve given up everything.”

It was Brian’s turned to be a little confused. “Like what?”

“Um, everything I ever had. At some point I’ve given it all up. Sometimes I go back to it. Sometimes I just walk away. I’m a quitter. You should know that by now.”

“Not a quitter.”

“Quit my job at Babylon, quit school, quit the pink posse, quit you.”

“Good, should have finished but had a good reason, thank fucking god, and when?”

“Had to quit Babylon. Sap was an asshole.”

“No shit.”

“School seemed so pointless.”

“Finished that argument.”

“The pink posse was… well, I quit after I got what I needed out of it.”

“Never was quite sure what you needed that could be accomplished with that.”

“Doesn’t matter. I did.”

“Also a circular and pointless argument.”

“Quit you a lot.”

“Not for good. Never could get me out of your system.”

“Like you let me.”

“Never wanted you out of mine.”

“Bullshit.”

“Okay, desperately wanted you out of mine. Both apparently addicted.”

“That’s a good thing. One way addictions suck.”

Brian lit a cigarette and arched an eyebrow. “Yeah they do.”

Justin laughed. “I’m quitting New York.”

“It’s a bad idea.”

“New York is like the pink posse.”

“New York is like school.”

“Quit both, still okay.”

“Justin.”

Justin sighed and put his book down. He turned to sit Indian style, leaning his hands on the arms of the chaise lounge. “Brian. I know what I want and it’s not New York.”

“You’re scared. You got hit with some heavy bullshit. There’s no way you know what you want right now.”

“Fuck you. I’m not some…”

“Stupid little kid? Why is it that every time you think I’m making a point you assume I’m doing it because I think you’re too stupid or young to understand? You’re a fucking adult Justin. You want to come back. I’m more than happy to have you, but you don’t want to come back. You don’t think that Pittsburgh is your home. You just want someone to take care of you because it’s a fucking pain in the ass to take care of yourself.”

Justin opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again. “Meant what I said last night. ‘It’s only time’ is bullshit. Time is finite. I want to be with you.”

“You are with me. You’re with me when you’re in New York.”

“Not the same way.”

“Justin. You’re making strides. We’re working shit out and I’m not going anywhere. So don’t come to me now, and pretend it’s what you want because…”

Brian stopped. He pulled his lower lip into his mouth as if trying to keep the words from coming out.

“Do what you want.” he finished.

“Because what?”

“Nothing.”

“Because what?”

Brian took off his sunglasses and really looked at Justin. “Because you’ll leave again and I’m not sure I can take that. And I’m not sure we’ll be able to work through this bullshit again.”

“Brian I won’t leave.”

“Of course you will. You should. But I want you to come back. If you come back now… you won’t come back next time. You’ll be so sure that you have to prove your independence after coming back without it last time…”

“Brian… I’m not leaving.”

“No. You’re going home.”

“So you agree.”

“What?”

“I’m coming back to Pittsburgh.”

“No, you’re going _home_ ”

“New York isn’t my home.”

“When did that happen?”

“It’s never been my home.”

“Then why do you call it home.”

“Fuck, is that what’s been upsetting you?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“It’s not the only thing.”

“But you’re upset because I call New York home.”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“The loft. Pittsburgh, the new space. You never call it home. When you’re in New York and you’re coming back for a visit…where do you tell them you’re going?”

“Home.”

“Then why can’t you fucking say it when you’re here?”

“From a man who needed a crowbar and a bomb to say ‘I love you’.”

“Different issue.”

“No. Pretty much the same issue. I don’t know if I can explain it.”

“Try.”

Justin looked at Brian. He was beautiful, he was naked, and every muscle in his body seemed tense. Justin sighed a little and slumped his shoulders. “It means a lot. That word. To me. Home. It means things I haven’t had since before I came out. It means things that my parents were supposed to provide and couldn’t… at least at the end. It means things I never felt. And then I left and now I feel them. Hard. A lot. And if I let myself say it. If I let Pittsburgh be home. If I let the loft be more than _your_ loft… it’s like I’m admitting that I’m not where I’m supposed to be. Everyone is supposed to live in his or her home…wherever that might be right? Well… I haven’t had one. Not 'til now, not 'til New York and it STILL doesn’t feel like home. You do. You could live in that crap hole I rented when we split up last time and that would be home. But…”

“But you’ve never felt at home in the loft.”

“No. Yes. I do. I feel comfortable there but it’s not MINE. My place in New York is MINE but it still doesn’t feel like home. Home is where you are.”

“So we’ll redecorate. We’ll build the fucking steps. Whatever. We can move.”

“You gonna buy another house?”

“Still have the house.”

“What?”  


“Never sold the house.”

“What?”

“Rented it. Lease is up in January.”

“Who the fuck would rent something that big?”

“Some corporate guy and his family. Here for a couple years then he’s moving on.”

“You still own the house?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked.”

“But…”

“We’re getting off topic.”

“The house. We could live in the house?”

“No.”

“But.”

“You’re not moving back here because you miss me.”

“You don’t miss me?”

“All the damn time.”

“Then give me a better reason to move back.”

“Because you’re done with new York.”

“Do people finish with New York.’

“There are three stages to a New Yorkers life Justin. The first time you visit. The first time it feels like home. The first time you come back as a visitor. No one lives there forever.”

“Tons of people do.”

“That’s why most people leave.”

“You have that much faith I’m coming… home.”

“I do. But not 'til you’re ready. Not 'til you know that you’re coming home and not back. Not to someplace that takes you because they have to. Not because your father died.”

“But… us.” Justin said it in a small voice.

Brian held out a hand and Justin walked over to him, sitting between Brian’s legs, resting his head against his shoulder. His back fitting perfectly against his chest. The breeze picked up and ruffled his hair. Brian lifted a hand and smoothed it down. 

“We’re fine. We’ve been fine. We’re gonna be fine.”

“Aaron.”

“I’ll watch out for him. So will you.”

“Can we just buy this place an live here?”

Brian laughed. “You’d be burnt to a crisp in a week.”

“I don’t know… if you put sunscreen on me like that every morning…”

“We’d be broke and never get anything done.”

“I could be pretty inspired here.”

“We’ll be back here. And we’ll have time to go on other vacations.”

“Other vacations. Does someone else have to die?”

Brian kissed the top of his head. “Twat. This was planned before that.”

“Oh yeah.”

“You know when you’re ready I’ll be wherever you want.”

“You ever think of moving to New York?”  
  


“Sure. Couple years from now KinnetiK might be ready for that.”

“Not now?”

“Not enough large accounts to prove ourselves. It’d be a suicide mission now.”

“You do enough suicidal stuff.”

“Shut up twat.”

“I kind of like my life in New York.”

“I know you do.”

“I really want to decorate the downstairs myself.”

“I know you do.”

“I don’t want the tub to be black even though you do.”

“I know that.”

“I’m thinking Mexican tile.”

“I’m thinking of fucking you against some Mexican tile right now.”

Justin wriggled just a small bit against Brian. “I’m thinking I’d like that.”

“It wasn’t the bomb Justin. The bomb didn’t make me say it.”

“Yes it did. But that’s okay. It was true way before that.”

“It’s still true.”

“We need some of those fruity rum lollipop melty things.”

Brian's hands slid down Justin's body. “Ever been fucked in an infinity pool with Mexican tile?”

“Nope?”

“Wanna try something new?”

Justin got up and dove into the water and Brian moved his towel with the condoms and lube wrapped inside closer to the edge before he followed them in.

Justin wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist and the water supported most of his weight and Brian realized that they should really move back to the house because fucking Justin in a pool was just too good to have to fly all the way to Mexico to do again.


	29. Chapter 29

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

* * *

The rest of the day was spent on the beach. Every couple of hours Brian would start applying more sunscreen, which led to more sex, which led to cooling off in the ocean, which led to more sunscreen, which started the whole process again.

Occasionally one of the staff would replenish their drinks or bring out some fruit or food. They talked about mundane things and generally enjoyed the weather and the time together.

Once the sun went down Brian pulled Justin out of his chair and they danced to music they could barely hear floating down from a nearby restaurant. Justin held on tightly. Not just because he loved the feel of Brian's still sun warmed skin against him, but because he’d lost track of how much he’d had to drink.

He knew at some point Brian had handed him some bottled water claiming that if he was gonna keep drinking those rum things he’d end up more dehydrated than if he drank nothing. He’d shrugged him off and drank some to shut him up. He didn’t remember ever finishing one of those rum things… however he knew he couldn’t have been drinking the same one all day so they must have been refilled.

Possibly while he and Brian were jerking each other off in the ocean. Possibly when they’d found that shady private spot under the trees and spent a significant amount of time enjoying each other.

Possibly when he and Brian were too involved in what they were doing to notice anything. Justin had blushed when he’d found the fruit and shrimp on the table. Realizing what they’d been paying attention to while it was placed there. Brian had freaked out, thinking he was burning from the sun. Then he’d relaxed and laughed when he’d realized it was just a blush.

Justin had been upset about it, for a minute. Then he laughed too…it’s not like they never fucked in public.

Justin was swaying against Brian. He came slowly to the realization that Brian wasn’t swaying. 

“What?”

“You’re drunk.”

“So’re you.”

“I can stand up straight.”

“That’s because you’re taller than me.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”  


Justin sat down heavily. “Nothing you’re just too tall.”

“And you’re getting sand all over your ass.”

“Well I can get rid of the sand, you can’t shrink.”

“You want me to be shorter?”

Justin struggled to stand up and Brian helped him, letting him lean against him while they walked back to the house. “No… if you were shorter we wouldn’t fit right.”  


“We might.”

“Nope, you’re perfect. I could be taller though. Then I’d be more your type.”

“You don’ t think you’re my type?” Justin was too drunk to notice Brian’s amused expression or his tone.

“I’m not. You like guys like… you. But I’m not like you.”

“Thank god.”

“But if I were taller… well then I’d still be blonde and waaaaay too young for you, but at least I could reach stuff on the top shelf.”

“You have an issue with reaching things now?”

“No. I can reach you. See…” Justin tried to stand on his toes to kiss Brian but the sand was soft and Justin was drunk and he ended up landing a small peck on Brian's chin before he fell backwards. Brian slung an arm around him and pulled him forward. “Let’s keep the fancy footwork for when you’re sober princess.”

“I’m not a princess.”

“Okay.”

“You’re doing that ‘humor him’ thing again.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t you get someone who’s more your type.”

“I do that when you’re home.”

“In New York. The loft is home.”

“Okay, I do that when you’re in _New York._.”

“Do you still trick a lot?”

“Define a lot.”

“Um, a whole bunch.”

Brian laughed. “No. I trick. So do you. We gonna be upset about this tonight?”

“No. I think it’s hot. Cause you fuck all those hot guys who are your type and it proves you love me. Because I’m sooo not your type and you could have all the types you want and you want me.”

“Pretty sure of yourself there.”

“You love me.”

Brian squeezed a little harder on his waist and ushered Justin into the house. “We should shower.”

“Yeah I’m covered in like a hundred layers of sunscreen.”

“And you’re still pink.”

“But not lobster like.”

“Which means it worked.”

“You should totally advertise that. ‘Don’t be a lobster. Use… whatever the fuck this stuff is.’”

Brian laughed. “I think maybe you should stick to the artwork and let me come up with the copy.”

“Okay.”

Brian turned on the shower and was peeling of Justin’s bathing suit, which had come off several times already today. 

“Hey!”

“What?”

“Um, something important.”

“Okay. What?”

“Um, I forget.”

“You’re very drunk. You wanna nap before dinner?”

“I don’t want dinner.”

“You’ve barely eaten all day.”

“I had lots of protein. And all that sugar in the melted lollipops… that counts.”

“Sugar and rum don’t count as food.”

“Well, I’ll eat eventually.”

“I’m sure.

“‘Til then maybe a nap would be good.” Justin headed out of the room. Brian grabbed his arm. “Not 'til you’ve showered.”

“I’m all sandy.”

“That’s the purpose of the shower.”

“I should use the shower by the pool.”

“Too late you’re naked and here.”

“Hey, look at that.”

Brian pulled his arm again and held Justin under the spray. “You’re severely drunk.”

“You should take advantage of that and fuck me.”

“Don’t need you to be drunk to fuck you.”

“Oh right. That’s me. You need to be drunk to let me fuck you.”

“Very drunk.”

“Why don’t you admit you love it when I fuck you.”

“Why don’t you shut up?”

“You know your friends think you never ever ever bottom.”

“I don’t for them.”

“Well duh, you don’t fuck your friends. Everyone knows that.”

“Not everyone.”

“Well, your friends do, or they’ve figured it out. Or well…has Michael figured it out yet? Would he let you go for it if you really wanted.”

“Don’t know, don’t want to test it and find out.”

“Good. Mikey’s gross.”

“Stop it, he’s a good guy.”

“Not so sure.”

“Justin.”

“Sorry. Don’t like people who make you feel bad.”

“Mikey’s fine.” Brian wrapped his hand over Justin’s eyes and forehead and tilted his head back so that the water rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and didn’t slide into his eyes. Justin spluttered. 

“You know I can wash my own hair.”

“Well I didn’t think you went months without bathing in New York.”

“We’ve never gone months without seeing each other since I moved.”

“Weeks then.”

“Whatever, are you always this weirdly caring on vacation.”

“Don’t know. Never been on vacation WITH someone before.”

“You used to go to P-Town with the guys.”

“Yeah but I didn’t shower with them.”

Justin shuddered. “Showering with Ted could turn you off men for life.”

“Be nice, we can’t all be pretty little blondes.”

“You’re not.”

“No. I’m not.”

“And I’m not your type.”

“We’re back to this?”

“Do you wish I were your type?”

“I wish you would shut the fuck up.”

“But do you wish I were tall and butch and had like good abs and stuff.”

“No. I can have that anytime I want.”

“You can have me any time you want.”

“Now.”

“What?”

“I want you now.”

“And you can have me. See, even if I’m not you’re type we’re perfect for each other.”

Brian was toweling Justin off and walked him to the bed. He leaned over and whispered in Justin’s ear. “I’m going to rim you 'til you’re begging and then I’m going to fuck you 'til you can’t talk.”

“You just want me to shut up.”

“Is that a bad reason?’

Justin smiled. “Not at all. But I’m gonna get you drunk enough to fuck you later.”

“You’re going to pass out.”

“Maybe but I still want to fuck you.”

“We could sit here and talk about it, or you could get on your knees and let my tongue fuck you.”

“I choose that one.” Justin said as he scrambled across the bed. 

Brian admitted, at least to himself that yeah, maybe this was to shut him up. He was yammering a lot, and drunk yammering Justin was hard to quiet down. Didn’t mean he didn’t love the taste of him. The salty taste and the small flavor of the sunscreen that was still deep in his skin. And him. Just the taste of Justin. The sounds he made. Such a sucker for a rim job. And then he didn’t think about much else.

They let their bodies communicate and when Justin did pass out, he’d come three times and Brian had a feeling he was down for the count. He opened the biography on Washington, which it turns out, was pretty fucking interesting and read for a while, occasionally stroking Justin's hair idly.

He wasn’t lying. He’d never been on a vacation with someone before. When he went away it was usually on a quest to fuck NEW men, in a place that wasn’t Pittsburgh. This was different. It was Justin’s first tropical vacation but if he thought about it too much, it might be his first real vacation too. Usually it was just a change of venue for the same drive to prove something. The same drive to get off. This wasn’t about that. This was good.

Justin actually came to a couple of hours later. He picked up his phone to check the time. It was only eleven. Brian was nowhere to be found. He pulled on a pair of pants and wandered around the house. He found him in the kitchen pulling something out of the ‘fridge. 

Just sat at one of the kitchen bar chairs. Brian put the sandwich in front of Justin and pulled out another one for himself.

“Thanks.”

Brian shrugged. “Part of the house service I guess. In case we wake up hungry.”

“Handy service. You sleep at all?’

“Wasn’t tired.”

“Sorry I guess I passed out.”

“Yeah.”

“You mad?”

“No.”

“Just checking.”

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“Check to see if I’m mad. You apologize all the fucking time too.”

“Sorry.”

Brian just looked at him and Justin shrugged. “Habit I guess.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m mad.”

“I know.”

“So cut it out.”

“Okay.”

“You call Aaron?’

“It’s a little late.”

“Two hours earlier there.”

“Oh yeah. I should call him and Molly.”

“Still haven’t talked to her?”

“Mom says teenage girls need more sleep than regular people. Plus she’s depressed.”

Brian nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. “Call them, I’ll put your food in the fridge 'til you finish.”

“Fuck it. I’m on vacation. I’ll call them tomorrow.”

Brian nodded and they ate. Enjoying just being together without the phones ringing and the family demanding and the world reminding them of all that they had to deal with. “I wish you’d packed my computer.”

“Why?” 

“So I could show you the new floor plans. I’ve got it all figured out.”

“We’ll be home this time tomorrow. You can show me then.”

“Do we have to go home?”

Brian huffed a laugh. “Yeah, we do. Sorry.”

“Now who’s apologizing?

“Just making my point that it’s annoying.”

“Or you’re picking up my bad habits.”

“That can’t happen. You’ve already got most of mine.”

“Pfft, I don’t have half of yours.”

“You got the important ones.”

“No I got the ones everyone has.”

“Everyone deals with emotional pain through disco-pharmacology?”

“We back to that?”

“Never really finished talking about it.”

“But you know I’m not a crystal queen.”

“I also know you’ve started using a lot.”

“I have a lot more shit in my life.”

“And how’s that blowing off everything and not dealing with it working out for you?”

“I stopped punching walls.”

“That’s good.”

“I don’t’ get why it’s an issue. You do it. It’s fine. I do it, it’s the end of the world.”

“Hardly. I’m just gonna have to get used to the new improved version.”

“That’s what Mikey said.”

“Huh?”

“He said you’re like old Brian, whoever he thinks that was, when I’m not aground and you’re totally different when I’m… home.”

Brian smiled a little at the use of the word home. “I love Michael. He doesn’t know shit.” 

“So you’re not like your old self when I’m not around?”

Brian shrugged and picked up both their plates, taking them over to the sink and turning on the water. His back was to Justin. “I don’t know. I don’t remember the ‘old me’ that much. It was a long time ago. I like it better when you’re home.”

“I know.”

“I think Michael thinks that how many guys I fuck or how much I drink pretty much defines me.”

“You’d think a guy who’s known you that long would know more.”

“You’d think.”

“Did Deb drop him on his head a lot as a baby?”

Brian laughed. “How the fuck would I know. I didn’t meet him 'til the brain damage was too far advanced.”

“Now who’s being mean to Michael?”

“I’m allowed he’s my best friend.”

“Since you were fourteen.”

“He does say that a lot doesn’t he?”

“He’s like, fixated on it.”

“Well I think in his head he’s sixteen, so it wasn’t all that long ago.”

“How old are you in your head?”

“Twenty two.”

“Twenty two? In your head you’re younger than I am?”

“Yeah. It was a good year. Job that paid well, considering I had no expenses. Rent was dirt-cheap. Legal, so I never had to worry about the fake ID getting confiscated. No reason to come home on holidays, and Christ, I had all the energy in the world.”

“Yeah, twenty two was good times.”

“Shut up twat, at twenty two you had tons of energy, but you were miserable.”

“No I wasn’t. I was um…lost.”

“You were running around with a gang, your partner lost his mind and tried to ditch you again, and fuck you were angry.”

“Still got the anger thing working. Shut up about the pink posse…it made sense at the time. And you were stupid. Not me.”

“Twenty-two should have been better for you.”

“Twenty four’s turning out not to suck.”

“Really?”

“We’re in Puerto Vallarta, in this amazing villa. We’re good. Craig’s gone, and I’m renewing my lease next month.”

“You are?”

“I’m not moving. Too tired to even think about it.”

“I could help you to pay for a place with a doorman.”

“I’m fine Brian. I’ve lived there almost a year and no damage see.” Justin stood up put his arms out to the sides and spun around. “I’m here, I’m fine, and I’m renewing my lease.”

“Okay.”

“What about you. Are you renewing the guy’s lease at the house?”

“If he wants to. We don’t need it yet.”

“Yet?”

“Even if we move. Even if in a couple of years, KinnetiK is in New York and you’re a jet setter doing commissions abroad, we’re gonna need a home base. I figure that house works.

“Good point. But who the fuck keeps their home base in Pittsburgh?”  
  
”People who have a family and a life there.”

“Oh yeah.”

“There’s something wrong.”

“There is?”

“That spin. You did it and didn’t fall down.”

“Duh.”

“You’re sober.”

“Duh.”

“We have to fix that. “Here.” Brian lit a joint. “I got them from the gardener. It’s good shit.”

Justin took a hit and it was smooth and good. “Tomorrow we have to pick up souvenirs for everyone.”

Brian groaned. Justin handed him the joint and leaned in. Brian flipped it quickly and they shot-gunned it for a few moments. “We’ll do this before we buy souvenirs too.”

Brian laughed at that, but then right now he’d laugh at anything.

And Justin didn’t have to get Brian drunk to fuck him. Turns out stoned works just as well.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Sunday they spent a few more hours on the beach and Justin finally convinced Brian that the aggravation of buying souvenirs was less than the aggravation of coming home without them and dealing with the fallout.

Justin wasn’t so sure as Brian bypassed another store with a sneer. It wasn’t that Justin didn’t agree. It _was_ all touristy crap, most of which hurt his sensibilities as an artist but the fact remained that he’d ditched the whole world the day of his fathers funeral to go on vacation… he had to bring something back, at least for Aaron and Molly. Deb would easy. She had no taste. Everyone else was a little harder to search for. It didn’t help that Justin pretty much hated shopping and Brian pretty much hated kitsch and anything remotely touristy.

They both had headaches when they got back to the villa but they’d found a few remotely nice items at a small booth where some guy painted tiles. Justin wasn’t sure that they were worth the price, and he knew the art was primitive but then again… he couldn’t look at another fucking box covered in shells.

Brian had found something he liked for himself. Justin was surprised. It looked familiar but it was NOT the same cowry shell bracelet he’d worn for years. It was narrower. It was um… it was pretty fucking close but Justin said nothing and Brian bought and wore it and somehow knew Justin was gonna bring it up when he least expected it and had forgotten all about it.

Didn’t matter. They were both on the bed. Nothing else mattered.

Brian was pulling Justin’s shirt off of him slowly. “You really did get some sun.”

“No thanks to you.”

“I was just…”

“You’d have me sit in a vat of sunscreen if you could.”

“You burn really easily. We spent a day in August at the park with Gus and your nose was peeling.”

“That was August, and like three years ago.”

“This is Mexico, and it’s still your skin.”

“Whatever.”

“Are we arguing?”

“No.” Justin leaned up then and kissed Brian. Of all the things he wanted to do right now, arguing wasn’t even on the list. He tugged at Brian’s shirt, and pulled it over his head. Brian’s chest was darker. He _had_ gotten some sun. Justin didn’t know if he’d ever wanted him more.

He moved his mouth to a nipple and bit while he tugged at it. Brian’s head fell back and Justin smiled and moved to the other nipple. He loved when Brian couldn’t help but respond. And right now Brian was tired, he was aggravated, and he’d already started to think about things that had to be done once they got home.

Justin was determined to make him forget, for as long as possible. He moved his mouth slowly down Brian’s chest. His lips and tongue and teeth working at outlining each muscle group. His abs, his pecks… his tongue traced them with delicate precision and he could feel Brian’s tension melt a little.

He moved lower taking Brian’s pants down to his knees. Brian moved forward and he was naked now. Justin was still wearing a pair of shorts but he didn’t care…at least not at the moment.

He stood up and pushed him forward until he was laying flat on his stomach and Justin straddled him. “Going for two nights in a row… you’re ambitious.” Brian mumbled into the pillows.

Justin laughed. “I’m just giving you a massage.”

“We can pay people to do that.”

“You can pay them when I’m not around if you want. _I’m_ the only one touching your skin right now.

He began sliding his hands softly up Brian's back, using the tanning oil Brian had left on top of his bag. He let himself luxuriate in the feel of hard muscle under perfect skin. He pushed his palms into Brian’s shoulder blades and felt Brian respond by relaxing deeper into the mattress. He could fuck him right now if he wanted. Maybe he would, but first he wanted to feel him. To let him relax. To thank him. To enjoy him.

Justin turned around, his back to the headboard, and began kneading Brian’s calves, moving his hands slowly up his thighs. He played attention to each area as if there were no hurry, no pace to set, no place else his hands wanted to be. And truthfully there wasn’t. They had time and he’d spend it all just relishing the feel of skin against skin.

He was kneading Brian's ass now, his slippery fingers pulling him apart and then he used his fingers and his tongue to massage him from the inside. He listened closely. He could tell so much from Brian’s breathing. From his little bitten back gasps and moans.

Brian loved to be loud most of the time. He growled, he grunted, he was an expert at talking dirty and at being able continue with a bored expression in his voice if he was in a really bad mood. But that wasn’t what Justin was waiting to hear. It was the little satisfied sighs. The rapid breathing that he couldn’t control, and the soft sounds that came from the back of his throat and couldn’t be kept back no matter how hard he bit his lip. Those were the sounds Justin loved. Those were the sounds he was pretty sure only he got to hear.

He knew how to get them. He knew what Brian loved. Brian liked to tease him about being a whore for a rim job. Justin knew a secret… Brian was worse. He proved it now as he lifted himself a little onto his knees, pushing his ass towards Justin's hot breath.

Justin bit back a laugh that would be completely counterproductive to his goals and ran an oiled palm gently over Brian’s leaking cock. He brought both hands back to Brian's ass then and ran his tongue flat across the crack listening to the desire build inside him.

He moved a finger just a bit, circling and tracing the hole but never entering. Teasing until Brian was fisting the sheets. He pushed his tongue back inside him then and began to use his hands to stroke Brian's hips and thighs. He moved Brian’s hand away when it mindlessly headed towards his own dick to jerk himself off. “Patience remember?”

Brian moaned and Justin smiled and continued to use his hands and fingers and tongue to bring Brian to the edge, only to pull back and then stroke him lightly. His back, his shoulders, his hips, his abs. When he heard Brian’s breathing become more even again he’d start the process over until he was sure Brian was going to rip the sheets in half, and then pound him into the mattress for torturing him. 

He finally moved his hand between Brian’s legs, grazing his balls as he wrapped it firmly around his shaft. He moved his tongue inside him in sharp thrusts while Brian thrust into his hand and then back towards his tongue. He was almost whimpering now and Justin felt the rhythm change. Things became faster, more frenzied and soon he had two fingers inside Brian and was stroking him as Brian stroked himself against Justin’s hand.

He felt Brian’s body convulse. He felt him come and kept his fingers moving inside him until Brian let out a deep guttural groan and Justin felt him collapse against the mattress. His fists let go of their death grip on the sheets and his body seemed to be completely relaxed.

He crawled up beside Brian, unbuttoning his shorts to relive some of the pressure. He kissed Brian and began to stroke himself but soon Brian’s hands were on his moving them away. Then his mouth was on the head of his cock and Justin leaned his head back and didn’t even pretend he wanted anything else right now.

Brian’s mouth was amazing. His tongue was pressing against the slit. His fingers were pulling at his hips angling so that Brian could take him deep into his throat. And he did. Justin felt himself bump against the back of his mouth. He felt the tight fit of his cock in Brian's throat. Felt him swallow around him, and his tongue move as he moved his head again.

Brian slidd a finger inside his ass and he grunted and soon was coming down Brian’s throat. His hands were gripping Brian's hair and his body felt like it might never come back down from this high.

And when he did start to float back to earth he was on his back, Brian was on his stomach with an arm flung over his hips and his face buried into his side and he was happy. 

~**~*~**~***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was after midnight by the time they got back to the loft. Neither was tired but they didn’t much feel like listening to their messages or starting on the bullshit tomorrow would bring. They spent the next couple of hours wearing themselves out. When they finally crashed they could think of nothing but the feel of each other and the soft thrum of their bodies vibrating in unison.

~**~**~**~**~**~***~***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Studio?”

Justin leaned back against Brian’s chest and let the shampoo wash the last smells of Mexico from him. “Yeah. Messages, then studio, and probably a couple of phone calls. KinnetiK?”

“Meetings all day. Sent Cyn flowers.”

“Why?”

“She booked the place, all I told her was someplace warm”

“She’s gonna think you’ve gone soft.”

“I’ll prove her wrong with everything else I do.”

“No doubt.”

“When you call Aaron, find out if he’s working today.”

“I thought I was supposed to stay out of your business arrangements and you were supposed to stay out of mine.”

“Aaron isn’t a business arrangement, he’s your half-breed.”

“Whatever. I’ll find out. Fuck. I have to call Molly too.”

“Did you get in touch with her yesterday?”

“Got my mom on her cell. Never talked to Molly.”

“She’s seventeen. Remember when you were seventeen. You have any desire to talk to…”

“What were you gonna say.”

“I was gonna say your elders, but you were never a normal seventeen year old.”

“What makes you think Molly is?”

“Well she’s probably not picking up men in gay bars.”

“I wasn’t in a bar.”

“Not the first night.”

“Whatever. You think she’s picking up men in straight bars?”

“No. I really don’t think at eight in the morning your baby sister is picking up men in straight bars. If anything she’s looking for her panties and bra an hoping he doesn’t wake up before she can get out of there after picking him up last night.”

Justin elbowed him.

“Ouch.”

“Baby sister, was the key word in that sentence.”

“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

“Your mother would tell you.”

“Yeah, because that’s what we’ve had time to talk about.”

“Well glad to see you’re back from vacation.”

“I’ve got three more days so we better find someone to start with the steps.”

“We close tonight at six.”

“Why so late?”

“Had to show up at the office or it’s hard to do things like pay the mortgage.”

“Hmmm.”

They stepped out of the shower and Justin pulled on studio clothes. “I’ll pick up coffee on the way. You want me to put it on for you?”  


“I’ll get some on my way in as well. Diner for lunch?”

“We can give Deb her gifts. One thirty?”

“See you then.”

Justin left and headed to the studio where he finally found the energy to check his messages. Two from Matt, two from Zoë, one from Lee, three from Aaron, and one from the gallery. He called the gallery first.

He put down the phone and sighed. They wanted another change. He could do that. Simple enough but the equipment was in New York so he couldn’t even worry about it now. Now he just had to work on this design for Paul. Well for Taylormade. 

Justin went downstairs to talk to Paul and convinced him to loan his second crew for the downstairs loft project. He was heading back up the stairs when his mother called.

“Hi mom.”

“You got back safely?”

“I was going to call.”

“I’m sure.”

“I had stuff to do and it’s only…” Justin looked at his watch. “Ten thirty.”

“I didn’t call to nag.”

“You sure?”

“Not just to nag. Did you ever get in touch with Molly last night?”

“No why?”

“No reason.”

“Mom.”

“She’s taking this hard. I didn’t force her to go to school today but she hasn’t left her room I thought maybe she’d like to hear from you.”

“She’s not answering her phone.”

“Call the house.”

“Not answering there either.”

“She’s probably just asleep.”

“Probably.”

“I’m gonna take her to a therapist.”

“Not that whack job you took me to?”

“No, a completely different whack job.”

“Won’t help anything.”

“Well you turned out pretty well adjusted.”

“Can you actually say that with a straight face?”

“No but we’re on the phone, so you don’t know that.”

“I know when you’re fucking with me.”

“How was your trip?”

“It was pretty amazing.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. You gonna be at the closing tonight?”

“Yes. I guess you will be.”

“Actually I may be hanging out with Aaron, nothing needs my signature.”

Jennifer was silent. 

“Mom.”

“Um, you should call Brian.”

“Why?”

“No reason but… you should call him.”

“Gotta go.”

“See you tonight.”

“Yeah.”

Justin hung up and dialed Brian’s cell, he didn’t feel like dealing with Cynthia or voicemail. He played it cool.

“I’m gonna hang out with Aaron tonight while you do all the boring paperwork for the new space.”

“You should come.”

“Why?”

“It’d be nice for you to be there.”

“Brian, it’s hours of boring paperwork, you told me that.”

“Yeah but…”

Justin waited. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

“I checked with you first.”

“About what?”

“Shel and Mort’s place.”

“And I said _you_ should buy it.”

“And I did.”

“So okay, I’ll see you for lunch.”

“But you have to come to the closing.”

“Why?”

He could see Brian’s expression. He waited.

“Your name’s on it.”

“As what? A tenant? You gonna charge me rent?”

“As the co-owner, and I asked first.”

“Not if you could give me half a building.”

“It’s a quarter of the building and both our names are on the deed. It’s an eighth of the building.”

“An eighth of a building and you in no way see this as breaking the rules.”

“I asked you first.”

“We’ll talk about it at lunch.”

“If you’re not gonna be there we can’t close on time and the steps will never get done.”

“I’ll be there. We’ll talk about it at lunch. I have to call Aaron and my sister.”

Justin knew that he should be neither surprised nor angry. He wasn’t surprised. He was also pretty sure the anger would fade.

He went back to his designs and hoped that the anger would fade. Brian had sort of asked first.

Brian hung up the phone and smiled. Justin wasn’t that angry. And it could be worse. He could have found out whose name the house was in.

He went back to irritating Cynthia until she forgot he was nice and sent flowers.


	30. Chapter 30

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

* * *

They met at the diner for lunch. Brian knew he might be in a bit more trouble than he’d first anticipated when he saw Justin’s eyes. Of course he couldn’t see that 'til he sat down because Justin was refusing to look at him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You’re that mad? I asked first.” Brian tried not to smile. He failed.

“You asked if you should buy it. Not if you should give it to me.”

“Well, I thought that was a given.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

“It’s easier this way. Less legal bullshit than changing my will again.”

“Again?”

Brian waited 'til Kiki finished filling his coffee before he replied. “I have assets Justin, and a son.”

“I know both those things.”

“And a partner and a history of cancer. I’d be an irresponsible asshole not to have a will.”

Justin looked back down at his menu. “Can I see it?”

“What the will?”

“Yeah, so I know how much of a gold digging whore people will think I am.”

“I’m not dying for at least four years.”

Justin looked up quickly. “Four years.”

“Yeah, I figure I’ll see how forty goes. If it sucks, I’m outta here.”

Justin put down his menu and took Brian’s hand. “If you get old and gray, I’ll make sure it’s painless.”

Brian laughed. Justin smirked. They both ordered. It would be okay.

“From now on, just check these things with me _first_.”

“Fine.”  


“Paul’s pushing back another project and lending us his second crew to get the stairs in on time.”

“How’d you talk him into that?”

“I blew him, and promised you would too.”

“But the stairs will be done by Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah.”

“Worth it.”

Justin smiled and took a huge bite out of his burger. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Shit.”

“No, it’s a good thinking.”

“We’ll see.”

“Maybe we should move the bedroom downstairs.”

“What?”

“Not now, after new years, when we get into the bigger construction. Three bedrooms downstairs and all the living space upstairs. We can turn what was your bedroom into an office, or even a sort of dedicated play space for Gus.”

“It’s sort of a dedicated play space for me.”

“But you see the logic?”

“Not moving the bedroom. Gus’s room can be downstairs, he’s five, he can call for us. Guest room for Aaron. Fine. Entertainment center downstairs… logical. Turn the area where the TV is now into the walk in closet… brilliant. But the bedroom is staying as it is.”

“You really do think it’s like a secret lair.”

“Hardly a secret.”

“Whatever.”

“You talk to Aaron or Molly yet?”

“Picking up Aaron from school today. Having lunch with my mother tomorrow. Molly’s not answering the phone.”

“Fuck it’s Monday.”

“So?”

“So Alicia's not home 'til… oh.”

“Yeah, doesn’t matter anymore, Aaron's safe.”

“Good.”

“Hope he sees it that way.”

“We’ll see.”

Brian left a few bills on the table to cover lunch. “Meetings and then I’ll see you at Babylon.”

Justin nodded and finished his pie.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Aaron walked towards the car with an angry expression on his face. “I don’t need you to pick me up.”

“Figured you could use a ride, and I wanted to get out of the studio.”

“Whatever.” Aaron lit a cigarette and didn’t say another word.

“Sorry about leaving after the funeral.”

“Hey, I’d have gone to Mexico to celebrate too.”

“We weren’t celebrating.”

“Really? So you went to a tropical beach to mourn?”

“Aaron, Craig and I weren’t that close. Brian and I needed some time.”

“Whatever. I said it’s cool. Where the fuck are we going?”

“I’m taking you to work.”

“I was only working there so he could keep Craig away from me.”

“No, you took a job, you need the money, and they guys actually miss you when you’re not around to bug them. You’re going to work.”

Aaron slunk down in his seat. “Whatever.”

“That your new favorite word?”

“Whatever.”

Justin smiled a little and lit his own cigarette. He followed Aaron into Babylon and headed up to the studio. He was actually considering working on something for the sheer fun of painting when Aaron appeared in the doorway. “They’re driving me nuts.”

“Who?”

“The whole crew, they act like I’m some grieving widow.”

“They’re being nice.”

“Can’t take it.” Aaron sat down on the floor with his back against the wall. He flipped open the fridge and pulled out a beer. “I don’t need people to be nice. I just want things to go back to normal.”

“What’s normal?”

Aaron drained half the bottle and belched loudly. “Who the fuck knows.”

“My point exactly and ewww.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “I’m not that upset you know.”

“Okay.”

“I should probably be more upset.”

“I’m not a therapist.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m just saying I don’t know what you should be. I’m probably supposed to be relieved.”

“Are you?”

“A little. I’m also sad.”

“He wasn’t all bad.”

“No. He really wasn’t.”  


“He wasn’t all good either.”

“He sucked that way.”

“Is that why you like Brian? ‘Cause he’s like dad?”

“What? No.”

“You sure?”

“Trust me, if I were looking for a daddy, Brian would not be my choice.”

“But…”

“Subject closed.”

“What’s the deal with your sister?”

“Your sister too technically.”

“She’s weird.”

“When the fuck have you even talked to her?”

“At the um… the funeral.”

“Not the best place to meet.”

“She doesn’t come to Debbie’s and she’s never at the loft or anything.”

“We’re not like that.”

“Like what?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Justin.”

“Yeah?”

“Has it ever occurred to you that every single relationship you have is ‘complicated’?”

“It has been mentioned.”

“You know what we learned in school?”

“Don’t do drugs?”

“Well, yeah, but that was bullshit.”

“Duh.”

“In science, if something keeps getting screwed up, you have to look for the contributing factor.”

“Yes, I attended high school. And college.”

“And in all your twisted complicated relationships. YOU are the constant variable.”

“Constant variable…isn’t that an oxymoron.”

“I don’t know I ditched that class a lot. I’m just saying you make things complicated. She’s your sister.”

“I know that.”

“So what’s so fucking complicated about having a sister?”

“Do you have one?”

“No… until a couple months ago I had a pretty normal life. Parents who didn’t live together, an aunt, a grandmother and a couple of cousins. Now I’ve got a sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester in-law, a half-breed overprotective moody brother and I don’t even want to think about the freak show that is Sunday night dinner.”

“I’ll get you a t-shirt and a button.”

Aaron laughed. “Was your life normal before you met Brian?”

Justin shrugged and grabbed a beer from the fridge himself. “Kind of. Friends, best friend, mother and father and sister. Grandmother, no aunts or uncles though, no cousins.”

“Both your parents were only children?”

“Yeah, so it was just us. And dad’s mom. My mom’s mom died when I was like six. Molly never even met her.”

“I wasn’t born yet.”

“Neither was Molly.”

“You’re really old.”

“I know.”

“You act like a kid though.”

“Says the most irresponsible freak I know.”

“I’m not irresponsible.”

“Um, Brian found you selling your ass on the streets.”

“You know that was a one time thing right.”

“I’ve really tried to believe that.”

“It was. I was um…”

“Stupid.”

“That too.”

“Aaron. It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah except college kind of not an option now.”

“Because of dad?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I will?”

“You can get loans and grants like everyone else.”

“Did dad pay for you to go to school?”

“That’s a whole other story for a whole other day.”

“He wanted me to go to Dartmouth.”

Justin bit his lip and didn’t say anything. Craig really had thought Aaron was his second shot at everything Justin had thrown in his face. He nodded silently.

“You too?”

“Yeah, I’m not really the business guy type.”

“But you own your own business.”

“No I don’t”

Aaron picked up one of Justin's cards from the box sitting on top of the minifridge. “Taylormade. Looks like a business to me. So you’re a businessman”

“Aaron you’re doing that thing again.”

“The one where I’m talking about shit that I don’t understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, okay. But… if you own a business, and you’re all incorporated, I think you might be a businessman.”

“Go to work.”

Aaron put the card on the table where Justin could see it as he went back to the computer to touch up the designs he was working on for a client. “You too.”

Justin finished his beer and reminded himself that the kid was young, and stupid and he was not in any way a businessman, he was a guy who used his artistic abilities to make money.

He put the rest of it out of his head and remembered to bring a sketchpad with him to the closing because hours of signing his name couldn’t be less of a turn on.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin drove Aaron home after the crew packed up for the night and then headed to KinnetiK where apparently he was due to sign his name a couple hundred times.

He tried to pay attention for the first ten minutes but then just signed were the little red stickies and yellow highlighters marked and zoned out.

An hour into it his hand was getting really tired.

Two hours into it he took one of his prescription muscle relaxers. 

Three hours into it Brian told them all they were taking a break and he walked outside with Justin. Justin assumed they were out for a cigarette but had difficulty removing it from the pack. Brian stuck the pack back in his pocket. He took his hand and started to work the muscles. He hadn’t done this in a while. He hadn’t needed to.

“You didn’t tell me it still cramped this badly.”

“Only when I have to sign my name three hundred thousand times in a single hour.”

“Your head hurt?”

“It always hurts when this happens. Nothing happened to my hand. You know that.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s fine Brian. I’ll take another pill when we get back to… what the fuck are we gonna call it?”

“The loft? Your head must really be hurting.”

“It’s not a loft anymore. And we’ve been calling it ‘the downstairs’ or ‘the new space’ but once they’re integrated…”

“Why don’t we just call it home.”

Justin leaned against him. “Can we go there now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“We don’t own it 'til we sign a couple hundred more papers.”

“Why is there so much bullshit involved in this?”

“I wish I could tell you.”

“Mom probably knows. She is a realtor.”

“Are you interested enough to ask her?”

Justin laughed. “No. I’m not even interested enough to finish this.”

“We have to.”

“I know. Then we can go fuck where the stairs are gonna go.”

Brian quirked an eyebrow.

“We’ll never be able to christen that spot once the stairs are there, so we need to do it before Paul and the crew come on Wednesday.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

“Yeah, cause my plane leaves at midnight Wednesday night. So I want to be there for the groundbreaking so to speak.”

“Maybe I should just move in with you in New York 'til they’re done.”

“I think you’ll survive.”

“Not looking forward to living in a construction sight.”

“With lots of guys in tool belts and jeans…very…”

“I’m paying them, I’m not fucking guys I pay.”

“When did that start?”

Brian shrugged. “I don’t know, just seems like a bad idea. They put the stairs up wrong, Gus falls and breaks his neck and I can’t sue anyone because the reason they’re wrong in the first place is that some guy came all over the blueprints.”

Justin laughed louder. “You really do think things through. Christ you’re such a pessimist.”

“I’m a realist.”

“Mmm hmmm”

“C’mon lets finish this so we can own the fucking place, and then we can…”

Justin leaned in to kiss him. “Let’s go.”

His hand felt better. His head was starting to feel better as well and they pushed through the tedium. By nine thirty, they owned the top two floors of the building. 

They were laying on the blanket Justin had brought down and smoking. “Can’t wait to paint this place.”

“Did you pick a color?”

“Yeah, you’ll love it.”

“So you’re not gonna tell me what color.”

“It’s called ivory butter wheat.”

“What the fuck color is that?”

“FAE073 blended with F0DEBA”

Brian just stared at him.

Justin rolled his eyes. “You can trust me, or you can go check the pantone colors and make sure I’m not painting the living room pink.”

“Pink?”

“Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?”

“Not really afraid of anything.”

“We need a sofa down here you know, and it’s not going to be leather.”

“Why not?”

“You have a five year old son.”

“Oh him.”

“Yeah, him.”

“Do you have a pantone color for the tub?”

“You gonna remember it if I tell it to you?”

“Probably not. Remember, I can only remember your name half the time twat.”

“Well, as long as it’s still the important half.”

“You really going to lunch with your mother tomorrow?”

“It’s kind of mandatory. You really ditching lunch with my mother?”

“I’ve got some kind of mandatory stuff myself.”

“Can we go look at furniture tomorrow night?’

“Sure.”

“Are you going to let me pay for it?”

“Well, I doubt we’d agree on a sofa that costs less than two hundred dollars but can you afford it?”

“I want to do the living room. You can pay for the bathroom.”

“You just don’t want me to pick out the sofa.”

“You go for looks over comfort every time.”

“And you picked the world’s ugliest chair.”

“You love that chair.”

“I hate that chair.”

“It can come down here and I can get the matching sofa.”

“So you don’t want me to come down here?”

“You’d stay upstairs if you don’t like the furniture?”

“I’m staying upstairs anyway. Got everything I need up there.”

“Then why the fuck did you buy this place.”

“You told me to.”

“I told you that you _could_. I didn’t say you have to.”

“No, it makes sense. Gus needs his own room. I want him here for the summer.”

“What do Mel and Lindsay have to say about that?”

“We’ll find out.”

“We?”

“We’re going to see them.”

“This is one of those ask first things Brian.”

“I’m sorry. After new years. I was thinking maybe if you’d like we could head up to Toronto for a couple of days and see the kids and the munchers, what do you think.”

Justin rolled on top of him. “I think I’m liking the idea. I’ll get back to you.”

“Get back to me?”

“Yeah. I need you to fuck me right now and I’m not really able to think beyond that.”

Brian laughed Justin dipped his head forward and kissed him.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

“You okay mom, you don’t look like you’ve been… I mean you look tired.”

“I’m fine. I am tired. Your grandmother calls all the time to check on me. She still doesn’t grasp the whole divorced for five years concept.”

“Mothers are like that. They don’t adjust well to change.” Justin smirked at her and Jennifer smiled. 

“Brian couldn’t make it?”

“Meetings and shit. He’s got three mortgages now.”

Jennifer shook her head. “At this rate he’ll be a real estate mogul before he’s forty.”

“Except he’s not planning on selling any of them. He loves the KinnetiK offices, god KNOWS he loves that fucking loft, and the house is being rented by some guy and his family.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“When he came to me looking for a long term executive rental I ran the idea past Brian.”

“You brokered that? You knew he still had the house?”

“In all fairness I didn’t know you didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a lot of shit I didn’t know.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing. Did you talk to Molly?”

“I can’t get her to talk. She barely eats, she’s crying a lot. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

“I can go by and see her later.”

“She might like that.”

“She might hate that.”

“She doesn’t hate you Justin.”

“She and dad were pretty tight.”

“I think she really resented the way he treated you.”

“Maybe.”

“Are you okay?” Jennifer put her hand over Justin’s. He pulled it away.

“I wish people would stop asking me that. Why wouldn’t I be okay? I was thrown, yeah, but really, I never talked to him. I went to him for help twice. Twice he told me to fuck off if I was still gay. I’m not gonna waste my energy on him.”

“But…”

“No. He’s not worth it.”

“So you’re going home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“No, I mean I’m sorry that I said I was staying. I shouldn’t have promised you that. I know you wish I’d move back.”

“I love it when you’re here but I want you to be where you want to be. What happened?”

“It’s the wrong time to move back.”

“But you and Brian… you seem so… I don’t know. You two seem to be doing well.”

“We are. This isn’t about Brian. If I want to be a successful artist I need to be in New York. I need to make the connections and be at the right galleries and do some stuff on my own.”

“But you’re working?”

“I’ve got that space design thing. Here.” He handed his mother a stack of the cards. “In case you sell to someone who thinks the whole place needs an overhaul or just some tweaking.”

“That’s good. You’re okay financially?”

“Rage is selling better than ever. The buzz over the movie. And then the fact that there was buzz that it wasn’t going to get made really put it in the public eye. Rage covers rent. Everything else covers well… everything else.”

“And you like where you’re living?”

“It’s a dump, but not as bad as that place I had last year when I was here. And it’ll do. And I can afford it. I’m lucky to find a one bedroom for under eighteen hundred in Chelsea.”

Jennifer shuddered a little. “I’m in the wrong market if that place goes for that much.”

“You probably are, but really, moving now would kill Molly.”

“She’s going to college in two years…maybe. We’ll see.”

“You don’t think she’d gonna go?”

“With her grades, I’m not sure where she’d get in.”

“But she’s only a junior.”

“That’s when your grades matter most.”

“How’d she do on the SAT’s?”

“No clue. I don’t think she went.”

“What?”

“She um. Justin she’s a teenage girl, she’s not really interested in much outside her friends.”

“But… “

“Justin. I’ve got it.”

“Okay but is she really okay?”

“I think she’s a little lost. I think she’ll be okay. I still think she’d probably benefit from a therapist. But then again so would I. And so would you. And hell, so would Brian.”

“Say that to him and I’m really not responsible for his reaction.”

“You’re never responsible for his reaction.”

“Tell that to Deb and Michael.”

“No.”  


Justin laughed. His mother grabbed the check and he kissed her on the cheek. “I’m gonna go see Molly, pick Aaron up at school and then hopefully get some work done.”

“Justin. You’re not responsible for all of them.”

“They’re my brother and sister.”

“I know. I just worry about you.”

“I’m fine. I’ll see you at thanksgiving.”

“I’m sorry I can’t get down to see your show.”

“It’s okay. I’d just be jittery and nervous anyway.”

“And you won’t if I’m not there?”

“Sure, let’s pretend I’m fine with no nerves about this show.”

“I’d like to be there.”

“Mom, there will be other shows.”

“And I will be there to see them.”

Justin hugged her tightly then. He didn’t miss his dad. He would miss his mom if she were gone. “I love you.”

He walked away and Jennifer swiped a tear from her eye. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~*~**~***~**~

Justin knocked, there was no answer. Molly’s car was in the driveway. He was pretty sure she was ignoring him. 

He knocked again and waited. After ten minutes he used his key. His mother had given it to him for emergencies and while he wasn’t sure he wasn’t acting like Michael using his own definition of emergency he figured either Molly was avoiding him, in which case, she’d be pissed no matter what he did, or she wasn’t home and no one had to know.

He entered slowly but the downstairs was empty and silent. He moved upstairs and knocked on Molly’s bedroom door.

“I didn’t answer the door, that should have given you a clue.”

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

“I just stopped by to say hi.”

“Well, hi.”

“Molly.”

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Would people stop fucking asking me that?”

Justin sighed, he knew the feeling. He chuckled. “Sorry, they won’t stop asking me either. I should have known better.”

Molly opened the door and moved back to sit on her bed. She was painting her toenails black. “So what’s up?””

“Nothing just came by to say hi.”

“We said hi already.”

Justin wasn’t sure what to say next. “Mom’s worried about you.”

“Yeah well, there’s no reason to be.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because my dad died Justin. I know you didn’t like him but you know what. I did! So fucking sue me for being sad that my dad died.”

Justin at this moment was very very glad he was gay. Women made no sense at all. “Of course you’re sad.”

“You’re not.”

“He made it a little easier for me to say goodbye.”

“You make it easy for everyone to say goodbye.”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Go away Justin.”

“Molly.”

“Go away. I really don’t want to talk about it and especially not to YOU!” 

Justin was surprised by her anger. Maybe he shouldn’t have been. Maybe it was a Taylor thing, or maybe it was a girl thing, or maybe she was really mad at him.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Of course I am. You made them get divorced.”

“No Molly I didn’t.”

“Right, they argue about you, they fight about who loves their stupid faggot son and then suddenly we’re moving and I see dad every other weekend if I’m lucky and the most ironic part. You’re fucking gone anyway. They could have stayed together because you didn’t want jack shit to do with either of them but they’re still apart and you’re gone and… You suck.”

Justin wanted to argue. He wanted to reply with facts and honest answers but he wasn’t sure they were the truth and he wasn’t sure they would make a difference. “I’m sorry that I left but I had to.”

“Why? So you could fuck your gross old boyfriend.”

“Molly!”

“Isn’t that what you were doing? Isn’t that why you were mad at mom? Isn’t that why you fucking left? To be with that freak even though mom said no?”

“No. That’s not…it’s… complicated.”

“Fuck you, complicated.” Molly’s disdain was clear. “You wanted to get laid, you got laid and you moved on to your own drama bullshit, and left me in the middle of this.”

“Middle of what?”

“This. Mom, dad, whatever.”

“You’re such an asshole. And now I find out we have a brother. And he’s like your new best friend and you come to see me because _mom_ says she’s worried. I don’t fucking need your pity Justin. I don’t need you to be my ‘big brother’ you never have been and I’m too old for one now. Just fuck off.”

Justin put his cell phone number on the back of his card. “Call me Molly. We need to talk. I have to…” he had to go get Aaron but there was no way that was the best thing to say right now. “I have to go to work. We need to talk.”

Molly flipped the card across the room. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“We need to talk anyway.”

“I _have_ people to talk to. People who know me. People who like me. I don’t need you!”

Justin backed away from the anger that he recognized. It was aimed towards him and the worst part was that he was pretty sure he deserved it. Maybe not everything Molly said was actual fact. But she’d been ten when he left. It probably felt true. It felt true to him and he knew he didn’t just leave to fuck Brian… did he?

He lit a cigarette the moment he was in the car and headed towards Aaron’s school. He was a lousy fucking brother. 


	31. Chapter 31

  
Author's notes:

As always, reviews are nice

discussionw/further comments/questions at

http://vamphile.livejournal.com/ 

* * *

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

* * *

“Just no.”

“I like it.”

“You would.”

“It’s comfortable and it’s not ugly.”

“You’re wrong.”

“It’s an opinion. I can’t be wrong.”

“And yet you are.”

“Fine we move on.”

Justin walked away from the set he’d liked to look at some of the other overpriced and seriously ugly furniture that Brian was considering. 

“Why do you get veto power?”

“Because I have to live with it every day.”

“I thought you said it was _our_ home.”

“It is.”

“So I like that one.”

“And I don’t.”

“You don’t like anything that doesn’t look almost identical to what you have.”

“Not in furniture.”

Justin shot him a look and wandered away from the cream leather sectional that Brian was eyeing. All clean lines and sleek brushed chrome legs. Just the thing for Gus to leave sticky handprints on. “We’re going to have to compromise.”

Brian groaned. “I hate that word.”

“Why?”

“It just means that neither of us are getting what we want.”

“Then you pick whatever you want for your area and I’ll pick whatever I want for my area.”

“Or we could hire someone.”

“We don’t need a decorator to buy a few things.”

“A few things? Justin we’ve already ordered the bar stools, the coffee table, the desk, god…that fucking desk.”

“You said you liked it.”

“I do.”

“Liar.”

“I’ll just avoid looking at it.”

“How the hell are you going to do that?”

“I’ll type with my eyes closed.”

“Fuck off.”

“Brian this one’s perfect.”

Brian stood back. He didn’t like it. He didn’t hate it. Justin looked too happy. He moved forward slowly and sat down. He put his feet up on the table in front of it. “The table’s too far away.”

Justin smacked his shoulder lightly. That’s not the table we bought, and this isn’t the setup we’re using.”

“You mean we’re not going to be living in a furniture warehouse?”

Justin pulled out the page he’d printed with the floor plan and measurements. He checked the numbers against the specifications of the sofa and chairs. “This is perfect. And it’s comfortable.”

“And it looks a lot like a chair we own.”

“I’d like to keep that chair upstairs.”

“I know.”

“Are you gonna move it downstairs?”

Brian distracted him. “What’s that?”

“It’s the outside stairs.”

“Yeah but there’s a door.”

“I checked with Paul who checked with the city code guys. If we put an alarmed fire door there then Gus can’t wander out without our knowing. And no one can get in without taking the elevator or us letting them in.”

“That’s good.”

“I thought so. It also means that if we wanted to we could knock out the front door and those frosted panels and have it open.

“So people take the elevator to the second floor and they’re pretty much directly in the living room?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

Brian, you have no doors on your bedroom, when did privacy become an issue?”

“When this became a family home and not my personal fuck-pad.”

“Most of the time you can ignore the downstairs. It’ll still be your personal fuck-pad.”

“But no TV in the upstairs.”

“I fixed that.”

“You did?”

Justin pulled out another sheet with the upstairs layout. “Paul’s gonna build something that integrates into the wall for a TV and stereo. See, the wood panels slide back and then voila, TV, but if you close it… it’ll just look like architectural interest.”

“Nice.”

“See, you’ll only have to use the downstairs for guests… or the computer.”

“Okay.”

“And you like this sofa.”

“Trying the Jedi mind trick thing?”

“You like this sofa.” Justin put his hand on the side of Brian's face to pull him closer. He punctuated each word with a kiss. “You. Like. This. Sofa.”

“I’m starting to think I love this sofa.”

Justin moved until his leg was between Brian's and kissed him again. “You really do like it.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Buy it.”

Justin smiled and kissed him again. He stopped when they were interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat. “Hi, we’ll take it.”

The salesman nodded. Justin couldn’t get a read on him. He was interested in Brian, but he couldn’t tell if it was a salesman money thing or a gay ‘I want to fuck you’ thing. He didn’t really care right now. The guy was making a huge commission and he could fuck off. “I need to see the color swatches.”

He walked away and returned a few moments later. Justin picked out what he wanted. Brian vetoed it. Justin picked out another one. Brian let out a gruff sound that Justin knew meant he’d put up with it. He smiled again. “We’re done.”

“We are?’

“Gus’s bedroom, sofa, chairs, coffee table, desk… we’re done.”

“You sure? There are some really ugly things over there you haven’t bought yet.”

“Have I told you to fuck off?”

“Repeatedly.”

“Then why won’t you do it?”

“If I leave you’ll buy that ugly shit that you haven’t looked at yet.”

Justin signed for the order. He gave the man his credit card and smiled. He turned to look at Brian who was pretending to scowl at a chair. “Thank you for letting me do this.”

“I have no idea how you’re affording it.”

“I have a new client.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I just got called by this guy who wants a complete rehab of a space he just bought on the upper west side. The retainer alone covers the furniture.”

Brian turned his head impressed. “Really?”

“Really. He’s this artsy fag I met at one of the gallery meetings. I gave him my card. I didn’t think he’d actually call, but he did.”

Brian’s eyes darkened just a little. Justin was close enough to see it. “Stop it. Even if he hired me to get into my pants it’s not going to work. I don’t fuck clients.”

“You can fuck him.”

Justin shuddered. “I’d crush him like a bug, he’s so fucking skinny.”

“You into fat?”

“Not into a guy who looks like he might break if he fell.”

Brian laughed. “Can we get out of here?”

“Yeah. They should be delivering the stuff in a couple of weeks.”

“You gonna be here for that?”

“No, but we can figure out where it all goes when I’m here for thanksgiving.”

“So until then...”

“Brian. I’ve seen you rearrange the loft about a thousand times. I have no doubt you’ll get bored and start sliding everything all over the place anyway. Oh, and I’m gonna be nice and let you buy the area rug.”

“We don’t need one. And how is that nice?”

“‘Cause I’m not fucking you on the hardwood. My back gets bruised. And Gus needs soft spot to play. So buy a fucking area rug.”

“Whatever.”

They left and headed to the Indian place for dinner.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian awoke to the sound of power tools the next morning. He pulled on a pair of jeans and headed downstairs. 

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“They’re starting quickly.”

“They’ve had the plans for a week. They’re ready to go. I just wanted to make sure it gets going well.”

“How long’s it gonna take?”

“A week tops.”

Brian groaned. “Coffee. Shower. Getting the fuck out of here.”

Justin nodded and sat on the floor to watch the crew work. Brian shook his head and went back upstairs.

Justin brought dinner to Brian at KinnetiK.

“Are you really just gonna stay away while all the work is being done?”

“I’ll be there, since you won’t.”

“Stop it. I have to go…”

“You can call it home.”

“I know.”

“So go home.”

“I am, I just… I don’t know. Everything’s so complicated.”

Brian flicked him in the nose with a chopstick. “Nothing’s as complicated as you’re making it.”

“You’re the third person to tell me that I’m the one making everything complicated.”

Brian shrugged. “You are.”

“I am not.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay.”

Justin stopped talking and turned his attention to his food. They sat on the sofa in Brian’s office in comfortable silence for a few minutes. “Things really are complicated.”

“I know you think they are.”

“You don’t?”  
  


“I think you want them to be complicated.”

“Is this gonna be another thing about me being a drama queen?”

“No.”

“So what the fuck?’

“You want everything to be the way you picture it. Life doesn’t work that way.”

“Says the biggest control freak I know.”

“But I know what I can’t control.”

“No you don’t.”

Brian shrugged. “I know when to just let things go.”

“No you don’t”

“You’re in a pissy mood.”

“I should be staying here.”

Brian shot him a glance and Justin slumped on the sofa a bit. “I’m not saying I should move home tomorrow but I’m not sure Aaron’s okay. I don’t think Molly is okay, and…”

Brian leaned in and kissed him. Justin tasted the szechwan plum sauce and the dark beer against his lips.”

“What was that for?”

“To shut you up. Everyone’s fine. You’re fine. You don’t need to take care of them. You were on your own at that age and look how well you turned out.”

“I had you.”

Brian snorted, “barely.”

“You looked out for me.”

“Barely.”

“Brian.”

“Molly’s got your mom. Aaron’s got his mom.”

“And you.”

“And me. Stop worrying about everyone else.”

“Okay but now can you do one thing for me?”

“What?”

“Move your leg.”

Brian laughed as Justin kneeled before him. “Still hungry.”

“I want dessert.” Justin’s hands were at Brian’s zipper and Brian leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His hands were stroking Justin’s hair and he pushed away all thoughts of how soon they had to leave for the airport.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

A week later Justin was still worried about Molly. She refused to talk to him and was ignoring his emails. When the last one he sent bounced back as an invalid address he called his mother.

“Mom.”

“Hi Justin. How are you?’

“I’m fine. Molly won’t even answer my fucking phone calls though. She blocked me from her email or something. Is she okay?”

“I think so. She’s taking things a little hard.”

“I know.”

“She’s very angry.”

“I know.”

“What did she say to you?”

“Nothing worth repeating.”

“Justin, give her some time.”

“Are you making her see a shrink?”

“Doesn’t do any good to force her, and she’s refusing.”

Justin was silent. 

“Sweetie?”

“She thinks it’s my fault.”

“No. She thinks it’s our fault.”

“That’s not much better. Actually, that’s worse.”

“I know.”

“I have to do something.”

He heard his mother sigh. “There’s nothing you can do. There’s really nothing anyone can do if she’s not willing to talk.”

“I guess so.”

“How’s the show coming?”

“It’s almost done. I finished the last piece and now I’m just gonna be perfecting and hand wringing 'til it’s over.”

“Enjoy it, you’ve earned it.”

“I guess.”

“You have Justin. You’ve worked really hard for what you have.”

“I guess.”

“How’s Brian?”

“Fine.”

“Everything okay with you two?”

“Mom, I think we’re beyond the breaking up weekly stage now. Assume everything’s fine unless I tell you otherwise.”

“I just…”

“What?”

“He wasn’t at Deb’s for dinner last night.”

“He’s in Washington.”

“D.C.?”

“State. Some huge tech company thing.”

“So he’s okay.”

“Unless there’s something he’s not telling me, in which case he’s got TWO problems.”

Jennifer laughed. “I’ve got a client coming in a couple minutes.”

“Sell them something really expensive.”

“I always do. And Justin, Molly’s fine. Aaron seemed okay. Alicia is coping. Take care of _yourself_.”

“I am. Shit. There’s someone at my door I have to go.”

“Bye.”

“Bye mom. I love you.”

Justin closed his phone and checked the peephole. He greeted Matt.”

“Hey.”

“Hey, you’ve been missing in action, thought I’d make sure you hadn’t died from paint fumes.”

“Nope, just finishing up for the show.”

“Finished? You’ve got a week.”

“They’ll never be finished, but they just need… perpetual changes.”

“Matt laughed. Come out with me tonight. I’m celebrating.”

“Cool. What?”

“I sold something.”

“Your sofa?”

“Fuck you. A short story to a real live publishing house. Matt waved a check in front of Justin’s face.”

“For one story?”

“I know, five grand, can you believe it.”

“Justin decided now was not the time to mention that the upper west side guy had recommended him to his sister and brother-in-law and he’d just gotten a twenty grand retainer. He smiled instead. “That rocks.”

“It’s um…”

“Matt?”

“Remember how I expanded the gay half brother story.”

“Yeah.” Justin drew out the word.

“That’s the story they bought.”

“Matt.”

“It’s okay, you’re still totally unrecognizable.”

“Do I write comics?”

“No, you run a lucrative website.”

“My eyes are still brown?”

“And your ass is still perfect.”

Justin laughed. “Okay, so all names are changed and Brian barely shows up in it?”

“He’s an accountant, and only eight years older than you.”

“Then let’s go celebrate…after I shower. I stink.”

“Good plan.”

Matt was sitting on the futon and flipping through an architectural magazine when Justin finally emerged. “Tell me again why I invite you. You always make me look bad.”

“You invite me because if you didn’t you’d have to listen to the Zoë and Jared show all night. And you look fine. Besides, you can always have my cast offs.” Justin smirked and Matt hit him lightly in the arm. They headed towards Scenic, which had become their club of choice lately.

“I think we’re getting old.”

“Why?”

“Because only old guys go to the same place every fucking night.”

“We don’t go out every night.”

“But when we do it’s always to Scenic.”

“So when you were a kid…um, last year… you went to a bunch of different clubs.”

Justin laughed. “No. But then Brian owned Babylon last year, where the fuck else was I gonna go.”

“What about before that?”

“Before that Brian owned Babylon in every sense but the legal one.”

“So you always went to the same club.”

“Yeah.”

“So you’ve always been old.”

“Okay, point taken, I make no sense.”

“Here.” Matt yelled over the crowd offering the vial to Justin. “You’ll feel eighteen again.”

Justin took it, and didn’t really think about how much he really didn’t want to feel eighteen again. Eighteen was a rough year.

He was flying. He knew it. He was feeling no pain, and that felt good. There was lots to think about but nothing to worry about.

Justin danced. He felt the sweat on his skin. He felt the hands on him. He heard the offers whispered in his ear and he smiled and shook most of them off. 

After several beers a couple of shots and another bump he felt invincible. He moved determinedly towards his target. Matt watched fascinated. Justin was a good dancer. He was conventionally pretty. He still looked a lot like a twink but he did this thing. Matt had no idea where he’d learned it but it was predatory. It was hot. He had no fucking clue what Justin said to those guys but whatever it was…he’d never seen it fail.

Justin came back ten minutes later with a satisfied smile. Matt shrugged and danced with him some more. They were both completely wasted when they staggered back to Justin’s apartment. Matt had a roommate who hated noise, and well, Matt, so it always seemed easier to crash at Justin’s.

They watched some TV, giggling uncontrollably at the steroid case with the ponytail that kept yelling to shill his new exercise equipment. They eventually passed out.

Justin finally awoke around noon to a pounding in his head and a ringing in his ears. He started coffee and found one of his pain pills. He swallowed it with some warm and flat mountain dew and sat at the table, head in hands waiting for the pounding to stop and the ringing to go away. It was almost a full minute before he realized the ringing was the phone and the pounding was the door. He picked up the phone.

“Justin.”

“Hi Brian. Hang on I have to answer the door.”

He opened the door to find Brian staring at him. Justin put the phone to his ear. “I’ll call you back, I have to talk to you now.”

Brian smiled. Justin grimaced. 

“Rough night sunshine?”

“Mmmmmm” ,he leaned against Brian, “you’re here. That’s good. Why?”

“Why is it good? Or why am I here?”

“Can you guys shut up I’m trying to sleep. Christ.” A pillow was thrown in their general direction. Brian cocked an eyebrow. 

“Pretty demanding for a trick.”

“That’s Matt. He had a rough night too.”

Justin saw Brian’s eyes change and he sighed. “Stop it.”

“What?”

“The hypocrite thing you’re so fucking good at.”

“That’s your forte princess.”

“Cut it out. Why are you here?”

“Cyn couldn’t get me a direct flight into Pittsburgh. Had to stop in New York.”

“What time does your plane leave?”

“Eleven thirty on Wednesday.”

“You’re here for two days?”

“Looks that way.”

Justin leaned up and kissed him. “Matt’ll sleep for another hour or two…coffee?”

“No.” Brian was backing Justin towards the bedroom.

“Juice?” Justin's voice actually cracked mid word.

“No.” Brian was almost growling.

“Um, I think I have some soup.”

Brian backed Justin up further and kicked the bedroom door closed. His hands were busy removing Justin’s shirt.

“Brian I’m all sweaty and gross from last night. Let’s take a shower.”

“No.”

Justin’s hands were pulling at Brian’s clothes now too. He didn’t care if he was sweaty and gross. Brian had seen him worse. Had made him sweatier and still fucked him. He wanted Brian now. 

Brian seemed to be on the same page because they were both naked now and Justin was on his knees on the bed, kissing Brian. Following his strong guiding fingers as he turned around and rested his head on the mattress, pulling himself up on his elbows.

Justin spread his knees, and felt Brian's hands almost span his waist. They pulled his body back across the bed and he felt the blunt head of Brian’s cock inside him. 

He listened, as Brian’s groans grew louder. He knew Brian was hoping to wake Matt. He knew Brian was in some way staking his claim. He didn’t care. It was Brian's claim. Matt was no threat, and currently the pinch and burn of entry was fading into a hazy glow and he began to move against Brian’s body. Felt the heat of his skin as he draped himself over his back.

Listened to the low rough silk of Brian's voice as he claimed what was his and Justin could only gasp. He was beyond words. There was an electrical current running through his body. It ran up his spine, filled his heart and his lungs until he felt they might both explode.

Brian moved again and Justin felt himself grow impossibly more full. Felt the energy in ever fiber of his being. He knew he was trembling. His hands held the sheets in a tight grip and he tried to focus on his own fingers. On the feel of the cotton fabric against his palm anything that would make this moment last but Brian kept talking to him. Telling him how tight he was, how much he’d thought about this the whole flight. How he’d almost jerked off in the cab on his way here just thinking about bending him over and fucking him against every available surface 'til he had to leave again.

And Justin came then, with a soft brush of Brian's fingers and the words “such a wet little boy” and Justin came hard, against Brian’s hand. He felt Brian continue to move inside him. Not done, not nearly done, Justin realized. He let his elbows fall forward, his knees the only thing keeping his body from being pressed into the mattress by Brian’s intense and steady pounding.

Brian didn’t stop talking. Didn’t stop whispering words that made Justin miss him even though he was here inside him.

He pushed back against Brian again. “More. I need you inside me.”

“I’m right here Justin. Brian snapped his pelvis against Justin’s ass. I’m inside you now.”

“Always. Always need this.”

Brian sped up then and came while stroking Justin to a second orgasm.

It took them longer than usual to recover. And by the time they were both sitting up in bed and coherent, Justin could hear Matt moving around the apartment.

Brian lit a cigarette and Justin cracked the windows a bit, letting the chilly November air blow across their cooling bodies.

Justin took the cigarette from Brian and Brian lit another for himself. “So how was your flight?”

Brian laughed. Matt knocked on the door. “Jus, mind if I shower? Nak’ll be in a mood if I interrupt his whatever the fuck.”

“Sure. Don’t leave the fucking towels on the floor again though.”

Brian looked over at Justin. “Again? You two do this a lot?”

“Nakigo, that’s his roommate, is an anal retentive Zen poseur. It’s easier if we crash here.”

Brian picked up the jeans he’d recently removed from Justin. And if I were the kind of guy who snooped…what would I find in your pockets.

“Stop it. Yes. I was tweaked last night. Which is what you’re asking right?”

“What happened?”

“Who says something happened?”

“I know you.”

“Um, duh, going on six years.”

“You only use this shit when something’s bothering you too much to think about.”

“Molly won’t talk to me.”

“Why would she?”

“I’m her brother.”

“I didn’t talk to Claire.”

“You returned her emails though right?”

“No.”

“You just ignored your sister?”

“Have you met my sister?”

“Oh yeah. Well, my sister isn’t Claire.”

“Hope to hell not, or our relationship would be more twisted.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Molly’s a good kid.”

“What the fuck makes you think that?”

“I don’t know, seemed like the thing to say.”

“Since when do you say what seems like the right thing?”

“Since my… what the fuck ever, gets so wrapped up in bullshit like this he’s a fledgling idiot crystal queen.”

“Maybe I should have cards made up too.”

“Justin…”

Justin scrubbed his face with his hands and pulled it though his hair. “Brian, I’m worried about her.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine. I was with Matt last night.”

“Yeah, he’s so responsible.”

“Why can’t you trust me?”

“I do.”

“So what the fuck.”

“You’re right. No reason to be upset. I’ve been thinking I’m gonna develop a short term heroin addiction to lose weight.”

Justin looked at him as though he might be insane. “See, seems like the kind of thing one should worry about right?”

“You’re an asshole.”

Brian put an arm around Justin and pulled him close. “I know, but I’m not being one about this.”

“Neither am I.”

“Okay. So you want to go out for lunch?”

“Yeah, lets shower first. I was gross before we even started.”

“You weren’t gross you were ripe.”

“Oh god. For that, you can wait 'til I’m done and shower alone.”

“Fuck that.”

Justin got up to head towards the shower and Brian followed. Matt at least had the courtesy to seem embarrassed that he was still in the living room and scarfing down some cereal before he headed to work.

Neither Justin nor Brian really thought twice about the fact that they were both completely naked. 

Matt turned bright red, put his bowl down and scurried out the door.

Justin locked it behind him. “I guess living in the loft you get used to people just walking in.”

Brian laughed. “At least I know you’re not fucking Matt.”

“Did you really think I was?”

“You’re a smart man. You don’t fuck your friends.”

“Especially friends who can get you the good shit.”

Brian glared at him and Justin laughed. “Joke Brian. Christ. Don’t lose your sense of humor now.”

They headed towards the shower and then finally made it out of the apartment. Justin showed Brian some of his favorite spots in neighborhood and several hours later they ended up at the coffee shop. They were heading in when Justin held Brian’s arm to stop him. “This might be a bad idea.”

“Why?”

“Um, it’s kind of like the diner.”

“There’s a loud waitress who might smack me in the back of the head?”

Justin laughed. “No, but there might be a table full of friends who won’t stop asking questions.”

“Aaaah, the infamous Zoë and Jared.”

“Among others.”

“Are you ashamed of me?” Brian smirked.

“They all think we’re twisted and complicated.”

“We are, and I’m sure you make us seem even more so.”

“We should just…”

Brian pushed the door open and followed Justin to a table full of kids. He knew some of them might be older than Justin but they all looked about fifteen to him.

“Um, guys, this is Brian. Brian, this is Lee and Jared, and Zoë, and Becca and Glen and you already met Matt.”

Brian pulled a chair up and Justin pulled another round table to the two already pushed close so that there was enough room for all of them. Matt was blushing like a fucking twelve year old girl.

Brian whispered something in Justin’s ear and went to get them both latte’s. 

Lee couldn’t put his eyes back in his head. “That’s rage.”

“No. That’s Brian. You’ll know when he becomes Rage.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Opinions vary. So what’s up?”

They all stared at him. “What’s he doing here?”

“Visiting.”

“For how long?”

“Plane leaves tomorrow night.”

“He flew in for a day and a half?”

“He was already gonna be in New York, he just took a couple days off.”

“That’s so sweet.” Justin rolled his eyes at Becca. She was cool, but she thought everything was “sweet”.

“He was horny.”

Lee and Jared laughed. Zoë elbowed Jared in the ribs and Matt blushed again. “Ask Matt, he must have heard us.”

Matt turned even redder as all eyes turned to him. Brian sat back down and put a latte in front of Justin. He took a sip and grimaced. So did Brian. “Non fat.” Justin said as he switched cups with Brian. 

“Stupid barrista.”

“Stupid guy who won’t drink a real latte.”

“Fuck off.”

Justin kissed him then. And they all stare a little more.

Justin faced his friends. “We’re not an exhibit at the zoo. You can stop staring. I told you I didn’t make him up.”

“They thought I was fictional?”

“They’re weird.”

“Why the fuck would you make ME up. I’d think you’d make up someone sweet and romantic.”

“Bite me.”

“Later.” Brian bit his ear anyway. Justin shivered and then tried to shrug him off 

“You’re not helping.”

“Am I supposed to be helping?”

Justin laughed. “I think the situation is hopeless. I think we’re helpless.”

He eyed Lee reaching into his bag. “Lee, leave him alone I’ll have him sign one for you later.”

Brian lifted an eyebrow. Justin was sitting sideways in his chair leaning against Brian; he didn’t have to see it to feel it.

“Rage fan?’

“Yeah, you’ll sign one for him.”

“Give it to me, I’ll do it now.”

“He’s just gonna drool on it.”

“What do you think Mikey does with them?”

“You want me to have nightmares?”

“Wasn’t picturing us getting a lot of sleep.”

“Good Point

Justin leaned his head all the way backs so that Brian could kiss him upside down. 

“Justin, I didn’t know you smiled.” Jared said.

“Only on very special occasions.”

“Like this?’

“Whatever.”

“So what do you do Jared?”

Justin groaned as Brian actually maintained polite small talk with his friends. He closed his eyes and let the caffeine and the warm smell of Brian seep into his system. He realized there was a lull in the conversation. He looked around; all eyes were trained on him. “What?”

Brian laughed and kissed the top of his head. “Nothing, I just didn’t know you had a second show.”

“I told you that.”

“No you didn’t’.”

“I did. Right after I told you about the upper west side guy’s sister and before we changed the topic to your shiny new addiction to Halo2.”

“Nice try, but that went, upper west side’s sister, Gus’s room, Toronto itinerary, halo2”

“HA! Toronto itinerary involved being home in time for the other show in mid January.”

“Fuck.”

“You owe me a blow job.”

Brian laughed. “I’m sure you’ll collect.”

“Damn straight. You’re way too sure of yourself. You really shouldn’t read copy while we talk.”

“You can talk for two hours straight without stopping… if I don’t work while you do it we’d go broke.”

“Pfft.”

“So um, you guys have your own language.”

“What?”

Baca was an anthropology major but had done some graduate studies on twin speak and shorthand among close knit communities. “You two, you have like, your own language, a rhythm of speaking that is totally unique to the two of you. You talk totally differently when he’s not around, Justin.”

“Well, I’m always far more relaxed when he’s not around.”

No one said anything but it was quite obvious that the opposite was true. They’d all seen Justin angry, and joking, and snarky, but they’d never seen him lean against another person and seem to feed off of the physical contact, as if he were finally whole. They all had their take on it. And Justin knew that they’d pick it apart and run it through their analyzers once he and Brian were out of their sight. And then he thought about that. Once he and Brian were out of their sight they’d be alone, in bed together.

“You guys wanna come to Scenic tonight?”

“No.”

“Sure.”

Justin looked at Brian. “You want to go?”

“Check out the competition.”

“The club or the guys?’

“Brian kissed him again. “Those guys are no competition.”

“They really aren’t.” he looked over at Matt. “We’ll meet you all there at eleven. Brian, Take me home, I’m horny.”

Brian smiled and stood up. The two of them left and Justin held Brian still, leaning in to kiss him, out of sight of his friends at the table. “Watch.”

“What?”

A moment later when they were sure Brian and Justin were gone they all seemed to lean in, talking at once. “I wanted to watch them dissect us for a second.”

“They’ll never get through the exoskeleton.”

“No shit.”

“Now, I heard that you were horny.”

“I am.”

“Let’s go fix that.”

“They did.”

Click on the Thumbnails to Enlarge Picture 

Coffee Table

[ ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/coffeetable.jpg)

Occasional Chair

[ ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/occasionalchair.jpg)

Sofa and Chair

[ ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/sofaandchair.jpg)

Desk and Credenza

[ ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/DeskAndCredenza.jpg)

Gus’s Room

[ ](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1165533/gusroom.jpg)


	32. Chapter 32

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Brian and Justin were leaning against the bar surveying Scenic. 

“This is where you always go?”

“Sometimes we go to Torrid, or some after-hours rave kind of thing but yeah, for the most part, this is our Babylon.”

“It’s not bad.”

Justin smiled. “You can sample the goods.”

“We could sample them together.”

Justin’s eyes scanned the throng of dancing men. “No one worthwhile at the moment. Dance with me.”

Brian allowed Justin to pull him onto the floor and they danced. Neither was particularly drunk, or particularly sober. They’d done a couple of tequila shots and Justin had almost laughed at Matt’s reaction. He really had no idea what Matt had pictured regarding his relationship with Brian. He had a feeling it wasn’t this.

Brian moved back a bit and a hot guy with short black hair and eyeliner started to dance with the both of them. They shrugged and let him join.

Zoë and Jared watched them in fascination. Matt tried not to but it was weird. He’d seen them together that time on the street. He’d heard Justin talk about him. Brian had become this mythical thing. But he wasn’t he was just a really hot guy who was utterly into Justin. Justin was almost a different person around him. 

Matt liked that. Not that Justin was a different person but that Justin seemed so happy, so comfortable. Everything he’d told him about Brian had made Matt wonder why they were together. It all seemed too complicated to be worth it. Matt knew it probably was complicated but fuck, when they were together, it didn’t seem like it should be complicated at all. They just fit.

“Do you think they’re gonna take that guy home?”

Matt shrugged. “They might, they have kind of an open thing.”

“I could never do that,” Zoë said. Jared nodded. “I’m not really sure I want to see you fucking some other guy.”

Zoë leaned in and kissed Jared and Matt decided now was a good time to find a partner of his own for the night, or the next ten minutes. or whatever. He was dancing with no one in particular and noticed that most of the guys on the floor were watching Brian and Justin. He shook his head. They really did become something more when they were together.

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck and Brian bent his knees just a bit so their bodies fit together. The eyeliner guy was gone and neither missed him. Brian leaned in to kiss Justin. “This place has a back room right?”

Justin smiled and nodded, pulling Brian by the waistband through the crowd. He pushed him against a wall and kissed him again. “I’m fucking glad you’re here.”

Brian turned Justin around, and trapped his hands against the wall. He leaned in to kiss Justin's neck and was surprised by what Justin said next. “Brian wait.”

Brian pulled back and let Justin turn around, he leaned in close. “What’s wrong?’

Justin shook his head. “Nothing, never mind, stupid. Fuck me.”

Brian smiled and moved his strong hands over Justin’s back pulling him closer. “You only top in _this_ back room. He felt Justin’s face become even warmer against his own and knew the kid was blushing. “We can go back to your place Justin. Not an issue.”

“No it’s okay.”

“You sure?”

Brian's mouth was against Justin’s ear and no one could hear what they were saying. He licked Justin’s neck. “It’s okay.”

“I want you now.”

Brian's hand moved lower to Justin’s cock through his jeans. Justin turned around and Brian unzipped Justin’s pants, moving his hand to stroke him while he prepared himself. He pushed into Justin and felt the familiar tightness surround him.

“So fucking hot.”

“Fuck me Brian, god, just fuck me.” Justin leaned his head back against Brian’s shoulder and Brian kissed him. He held Justin's hands against the wall with his own and he pounded into him. Justin's body melded against his and Brian again marveled at the way Justin’s back seemed to fit perfectly against his chest. 

He fucked lots of guys in back rooms. Sometimes there was a shoulder blade pushing against him somewhat painfully, and he’d push them forward again. Sometimes they threw their head back and knocked his chin. Sometimes it was pretty hot and pretty good. It was NEVER like this.

This was a fit he’d never found. He didn’t know if it was comfort with each other and years of practice or just a natural compatibility, what he knew was that this was better. This was amazing, and then he stopped fucking thinking so much.

He guided Justin's hand and together they jerked him off as he continued to pound into him. Brian bit Justin’s earlobe and listened to the soft groans Justin was making. And when he felt Justin’s body begin its quick ascent towards orgasm he was right there with him, stroking him, fucking him. They both came and Justin leaned his forehead against the wall. Brian leaned his chin on Justin’s shoulder as he tucked them both back into their clothes.

“Have I ruined your reputation as top stud?”

“Don’t fucking care.” Justin panted, his breathing still raspy and uneven.

Brian spun him around quickly and kissed him. “You’re fucking amazing.”

Justin’s tongue was sliding against Brian's. Their teeth clicked as they met and then Justin was sucking on Brian’s bottom lip before he pulled back completely. “Dance with me.”

They danced some more. Drank some more and Brian really was amazed by Justin. He’d worked so hard for his own liberty avenue stud status that he would never be comfortable letting it all go in the back room of his own playground like that… 

Justin on the other hand. Brian knew they had different attitudes towards sex in general. Justin was insatiable, but he was also less defined by whom he fucked and how he fucked. And Brian wasn’t stupid. He was sure Justin bottomed for some of the guys he brought home. Justin loved to be fucked. He also understood that becoming some back room bottom boy had never been Justin’s thing. He’d never seen Justin bottom for anyone else in Babylon. Then again… usually when Justin was in the backroom without him, or at least with someone else, he was pissed off and trying to prove something.

This was different. This was Justin’s playground… he hoped Justin wasn’t gonna regret what he’d given up in the morning.

Justin didn’t regret anything in the morning. Okay, maybe he regretted the last couple of shots. His head hurt a little. He was polishing off the bottle of water on the nightstand when Brian woke up. 

“Morning.”

“Is it?”

Justin looked at his watch. “For a few more minutes.”

Brian lit a cigarette and offered one to Justin who shook his head. “Coffee.”

Justin stumbled out of bed to start a fresh pot. Brian pulled on jeans and followed him. “Last night…”

“Last night was fun.”

“You’re not…”

“I’m not you. I don’t need to maintain some stupid image.”

“I just…”

“I know.”

“So we’re good.”

“If I didn’t want it, we wouldn’t have done it.”

Brian took the ashtray Justin handed him. “Okay.”

Justin looked through the cabinets and found a box of pop tarts. He put them on the table and munched on one while he waited for the coffee to finish. Brian took half of the other one and was chewing slowly. Justin laughed.

“What?”

“You and your stupid image. What would people say if they saw you eating pop tarts in a dump waiting for generic coffee to finish brewing from a really cheap Big Q coffee pot?”

“Half a pop-tart. Singular.”

“Oh well I guess it’s all right then.”

“You think my image is stupid?”

Justin sighed and grabbed two coffee mugs and the sugar. “No. I think the way you cling to it is kind of sweet.”

“Fuck you.”

Justin looked at him over his shoulder. “Then again, it’s pretty much the only sweet thing about you.”

Brian smirked. “Well, then I guess my image can take it.”

“You were nice to my friends.”

“You want me to be rude?”

“No, I was just… surprised.”

“Shit like that shouldn’t surprise you.”

“It still does sometimes.” Justin put the full mugs on the table and left the sugar for Brian. 

They drank and Justin lit one of his own cigarettes. 

“You’re really okay here.”

“Did you think I wasn’t?”

“No. I knew you’d be fine I’m just glad you know it.”

“I do. What do you want to do today?”

“Up to you, it’s your town.”

“Not really.”

“More than mine.”

“Does that bother you?”

“What?”

“That you’re not in New York. I know you’ve always wanted to be here.”

“No. Not really. I’ve thought about it. Haven’t ruled it out completely but life doesn’t suck at home. And I have family there. Friends.”

“You’d miss them.”

“I’d miss a lot of things.”

“You know you’d fucking own this town if you ever decided to take it on.”

“Not so sure, but that’s not why I’m not here.”

“Then why?”

“Business, life, friends, family. I’m…. oh fucking god, I think I’ve settled down.”

Justin laughed. “Really not the description I’d use for your life.”

“I’m more settled than I was.”

“Nomadic pack wolves are more settled than you were.”

Brian exhaled the last of his cigarette, conceding the point by silence.

“We could go shopping.”

“What?”

Justin put out his own cigarette and covered his face with his hands. “I can’t believe I’m doing this to myself.”

“What?”

“I’ve got three meetings next week after the show. People who were referred by upper west side guy.”

Brian nodded. 

“I can’t exactly show up in jeans and a paint splattered t-shirt. I think I need…”

Brian waited, amused. Justin clearly didn’t want to admit what Brian knew he was about to admit.

“I think I need a professional image.”

Brian laughed. “You’re going to let me go with you for this?”

“Who else?”

“Your mommy?”

“Fuck you.”

“Am I allowed to pay for this new image?”

“No.”

“Spending money like it’s going out of style there sunshine.”

“Takes money to make money right?”

“It does.” Brian drained his coffee. “Let’s shower. You need new clothes.”

Justin groaned. “This is gonna hurt isn’t it?”

“A little but that’s a part of it.”

Justin smiled then. “Okay, shower, shopping. And some time to fuck before we say goodbye at the airport.”

Five hours later Justin was re-evaluating his decision to do this. His decision to include Brian, and exactly how much pain it was worth. He was sick of looking at clothes. Sick of creating scenarios for each outfit. Sick of Brian’s glee. And he’d never admit it but he _was_ fucking gleeful. Justin thought he might have to strangle him with the belt he was holding out.

“It’s three hundred dollars.”

“It’s Armani.”

“I already bought a belt.”

“This one’s brown.”

Justin took the belt. And by the time they got back Justin was loaded down with clothes that were too pretentious for him to contemplate. He was grumpy and tired, and he hated to admit that Brian had been helpful and the blowjob Brian had given him in the dressing room _had_ helped a little.

“You’ll knock ‘em dead.”

“I wish just being able to do the job was enough.”

“They’re buying a brand. You _are_ the brand.”

“I know. That’s why I suggested this whole excursion in the first place.”

“You looked hot.”

“I don’t now?”

They were walking up the stairs to Justin’s apartment. Brian’s eyes raked over his ass, covered by a pair of cargo pants he may have owned since high school and a t-shirt that had definitely seen better days. “You look really hot now.”

“But not hot enough to redesign your closet.”

“If I recall, you redesigned the closet while you were naked and in bed. _That_ was hot.”

Justin turned around and headed back down the steps, holding his bags up. ”Then fuck it, lets return this stuff, and I’ll just meet them naked.”

Brian growled and pulled him back. “Don’t fuck the clients.”

“What if he’s really hot?”

“Then fuck the client.”

“Okay.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?’

“You’re really hot.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“I redid the downstairs, and the loft. But you’re really hot so I can still fuck you.”

“That seems to be the rule.”

“Good.”

Justin opened the door quickly and shut it behind them. He pushed Brian against the door and let the shopping bags drop. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being here.”

“I’ll be back next week for your show.”

“But you’re here now.” Justin’s voice was deep and breathy. He was running his hands under Brian’s shirt. “Right here. Right now.”

“Brian walked him backwards until they both collapsed on the futon. “Right here. Right now.”

Justin wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist and decided the most important invention in the world would be clothing that dissolved by sheer force of will. He didn’t want to take the time. He didn’t want to allow the space it would take to remove his clothes. Brian seemed equally frantic. They were grinding against each other like a couple of fucking teenagers.

Justin’s hands were pressed against Brian’s back. He couldn’t stop thinking about clothing that just dissolved. He felt the heat between them, and wanted to feel Brian’s skin against his own. He finally pushed Brian away just a little. “Clothes. Off. Now.”

Brian laughed, Justin didn’t but they finally managed to unbutton Brian’s shirt, and Brian slid Justin’s shirt up 'til it bunched under his arms. Their pants were around their knees and that’s as far as they got before Brian was pushing inside him.

Justin didn’t remember when Brian had found the time to put on a condom. He had no idea how long it had taken to get to naked flesh. However long, it was entirely too fucking long.

He threw his head back and heard a sound come from his own body that he barely recognized. It wasn’t entirely human. He moved with Brian frantically thrusting towards him as he felt that beautiful shaft drive deeper into him. 

His head was against the wooden arm of the futon and he didn’t care. He felt the sharp edge press against his skull and he ignored it. And then Brian pulled back and moved inside him and he was gasping and there was nothing else. Fireworks behind his closed eyes. Fire in his veins. His heart pounding dangerously against his ribcage. He couldn’t pull enough air into his lungs. He felt the orgasm build from some central point and then overtake him, spreading like lava across his flesh. Burning him from the inside out and the outside in at the same time.

He was sure he’d disintegrated. That Brian would pull out and be somewhat disappointed to find nothing but ash and come where he had once been. But as always when he came back down. When his breathing was more normal. When his heart no longer felt as if it were trying to break through his skin, Brian’s hands were there, holding him. He may have disintegrated but Brian had brought him back. He always did. It was a good thing Brian could do that, but then again, he was the only one who could make him spontaneously combust in the first place.

Brian used his palm to brush the sweaty tendrils of hair off his forehead. He ran his hand over Justin’s head and pulled it forward, cushioning the now annoying press of the futon arm from his skull.

“Christ sunshine. You could have ended up with a concussion.”

Justin smiled “I’ve had worse. My head is apparently pretty thick.”

He saw Brian frown. “Sorry, forgot you don’t have a sense of humor about me and head wounds.”

“Really don’t.”

Brian pulled him forward now, still inside him. Justin clenched his muscles around Brian’s semi hard shaft and heard him groan. “You’re trying to kill me.”

Justin didn’t stop. He moved slightly, grinding down on Brian's rapidly hardening cock. He moved more slowly this time. Taking off Brian’s shirt completely. Leaning forward far enough to pull his cargos completely off of his ankles and the he wrapped his legs tighter around Brian and began to move slowly up and down. Brian put his forehead on Justin’s shoulder. “Justin.”

“More Brian. God. I need you.”

Brian's arms were around Justin's waist and his pants were still pooled at his ankles. He kicked them off and pushed his tongue into Justin’s mouth. He let Justin set the pace. It was slow and steady. He wasn’t riding him, just enjoying him. Using his very well trained ass to tease him from semi erect to steel. 

Justin kept his movements slow and steady. Squeezing down and rising up just little only to lower himself again and he felt Brian’s body respond. Felt it harden inside him.

“I wish we didn’t need those fucking things.”

“Justin.”

“I know. I’m not stupid. But I love to feel you get hard inside me. I wish we could sometimes. Don’t you ever think about it?”

“Justin.”

Justin ignored the warning in his tone. He knew all the reasons why not. And they were damn good reasons, but it didn’t stop the fantasies. He ran a hot wet tongue along Brian’s collarbone.

“Just us Brian. Nothing between us. Wet hot skin against skin. Feeling you fill me. Come inside me until you’re gliding in and out, lubed by your own come.” He left a very wet kiss on Brian's neck to illustrate the point and when he lowered himself again, squeezing hard and keeping his arms around Brian’s shoulders, Brian came. 

Justin smiled. He knew Brian thought about it too.

Eventually Justin disentangled his legs and lifted himself off of Brian who stood up and threw the condom away quickly. He sat down on the dining room chair and lit a cigarette. Justin was still sprawled across the futon, naked and wanton in his post orgasmic haze. 

Eventually Brian convinced Justin that riding to the airport with him just to ride back alone was pointless and they said their goodbyes at the curb. Justin watched until the cab was out of sight and then headed back to his apartment to hang up his new clothes.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was too nervous to do anything but pace and smoke before the show. Brian eventually dragged him to the bathroom and blew him… which did relieve some of the tension but so many people were there. The gallery was somewhat well known, and they’d ended up featuring some of his work pretty prominently. He kept downing the cheap champagne they had circulating and realized he was too drunk to carry on a conversation so he smiled and nodded as people told him how much they loved his work.

Privately he knew most of them were lying. He knew some of this shit was good but a couple of the pieces had serious flaws and he should never have submitted them. He swallowed some more champagne and felt Brian's arm snake around his waist.

“You’re a hit.”

“I should have burnt the third one.”

Brian stared at it and then tilted his head. “Burning’s too good for it.”

“Brian.”

“Sorry. You’re right, it’s not your best work.”

“How can you say that?”

“How can you believe me if I’m not always brutally honest.”

“You get off on the brutality.”

“That’s you sunshine.” Brian whispered into his ear. “And tonight, when this is all over. We’re going out to celebrate with your friends.” Justin rolled his eyes. “And then I’m gonna take you back to your place and punish you for inflicting anything that mediocre on the public.”

Justin shuddered. “Let’s skip the celebration and go right to the punishment.”

Brian shook his head. “You deserve both. The multi media pieces are brilliant.”

“At least I know you’re being honest.”

Brian licked along the curve of Justin's ear and whispered,“brutally”.

They _did_ celebrate, and most of the pieces had sold. He _was_ punished. But saying goodbye to Brian on the curb as he got into the cab the next day hurt more.

“Ten days.”

“I know. Thanksgiving. And the furniture is being delivered a week from today.”

Brian rolled his eyes. Justin smiled a little and didn’t really cry, but he was hung over and sore in a very good way and the wince he made could have been because of that. Or because he fucking missed Brian already and the cab door hadn’t even shut yet. 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Ten days later he met Brian at the airport. 

They held each other for a moment. Brian practically bent him backwards kissing him. “C’mon, we’ll be late to meet Gus’s flight.”

“Anyone else gonna be staying?’

“Nope, Lindz is flying Gus and JR here, then she and Mel are going to spend thanksgiving with Mel’s family in Florida.”

“Where’s Michael?”

“Don’t ask. Comicon thing.”

“Oh yeah, he wanted me to go and sign shit but I told him fuck no.”

“You should have gone.”

“Fuck you. I wanted to seem my family for the holidays.”

“Michael will be back tomorrow. We just have to drive JR over to their house. Ben went with Michael but Hunter is gonna watch him for the night.”

“Um…”

“JR will be fine.”

They were at the gate but the flight was delayed. Brian sat down and Justin saw how tired he looked. “Hey, you okay?”

“What? Yeah. Been busy. Glad you’re back.”

“Me too. It’s good to be home. How’s Aaron?”

“He’s fine. He’s actually figured out how to help rather than just be underfoot at work.”

“That’s good. He um…”

“No more than twice a week. And the bouncers have been keeping him out if he’s not with me.”

Justin smirked. “He must love that.”

“He’s ready to kill me.”

“Well, like father like son.”

“Yeah, apparently there isn’t a Taylor man alive without definitive plans to kill me.”

“Hey even the dead one’s have plans.”

“You talk to your sister lately?”

“I call, she ignores me 'til she gets fed up, then she curses at me and hangs up. It’s all standard sibling stuff I think.”

“You know I had to arrange the furniture.”

Justin was running the pads of his fingers along Brian’s hands. Tracing his palm, the muscles at the base of his thumb, stroking the small indentation in his wrist. “Yeah I figured. It’s okay. We’ll put it where it’s supposed to go when we get home. Gus’s room ready?”

“Yeah. Hope he likes it.”

“He will.”

“You got one of those monitor things right?”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Yes, and he’s only going to be downstairs. It’s not like he’s in another country.”

“Did they get the fire door in?”

“Yeah, it’s extraordinarily loud.”

“How often do you forget to deactivate the alarm first?”

Brian smiled. “Rarely…”

“So when you’re too wasted to think abut it and working nights, and run out of cigarettes you wake up the whole building.”

Brian almost blushed. “Something like that.”

Justin kissed his cheek. ‘You’re pathetic.”

“And you love me.”

“It’s fate.”

Lindsay looked even more tired than Brian when she walked out of the gate. JR was on her hip and she was holding Gus’s arm although he was trying to squirm away. She let him go once she’d caught sight of Brian and Justin.

“DADDY!”

Brian kneeled a bit and Gus threw himself at his father laying a fat kiss on his cheek and wrapping his arms around his neck. “DADDY!”

Brian smiled and Justin took JR from Lindsay who visibly slumped. JR was sucking her first two fingers into her mouth and rested her head against Justin’s shoulder. From some of the nasty looks that passengers were giving them he had a feeling JR had not been so quiet or malleable on the plane.

Lindsay collapsed into one of the chairs.

We’ll get their luggage in a minute. I just need to…

Justin handed her his bottle of water. “Take your time.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

Lindsay’s next flight left an hour later and they loaded JR and Gus into their car seats. Brian shook his head and Justin ran a hand between his shoulder blades and rested it on the small of his back. “It’s only for a couple of days. You’re not a Stepford queer.”

Brian looked at him surprised. “Actually I was just thinking about how big they’d gotten.’

Justin kissed him. “I’ll drive. You entertain the kids dear.”

Brian rolled his eyes and Justin pulled the car out and pointed it towards the Novotny-Bruckner’s. 

Hunter was surprisingly good with JR and they hung out there for a little while. They passed along the five-page list of directions that was in Melanie’s precise handwriting and put Gus back in the car. He fell asleep half way to the loft.

Brian was driving and Justin was reading over the list. “Jesus, Lindsay didn’t skimp on the instructions.’

“Is he allergic to anything?”

“Nope.”

“Then we’re good. Throw them out.”

Justin folded them and stuck them in his pocket. Knowing what to do when Gus fell into a crying jag seemed better than just winging it. 

They put Gus down in his new bed and stayed downstairs. When he woke up he’d be a little confused and lost. They wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone too.

“The sofa and chairs are supposed to go the other way.”

“They work better this way.”

Justin shrugged. “They’re gonna do the inside work in February. You know, pulling out the kitchen appliances and building the wine rack and the built ins around the desk.”

Brian nodded. “In the meantime everything but the refrigerator has been disconnected. Didn’t want Gus turning on the stove accidentally.”

“Good plan.”

“I still hate this sofa.”

“No you don’t”

“I do, but it’s okay. I’ve gotten used to the desk.”

“You love it and you know it.”

“It’s not bad. It goes with the rest of the place. Trendy, artsy, busy, craptastic.”

“Fuck you.”

“Well, it’s not as bad as Deb’s place.”

“Nothing is.”

“But we could get some ceramic cat statues, they’d blend right in.”

“You really don’t want to get laid today at all do you?”

Brian moved Justin’s hand to his crotch proving just how wrong he was. 

“Later. Your son is napping.”

“Isn’t that why kids take naps?”

“Brian. The door’s open and he’s never been here before.”

“Then just blow me.”

And Justin did.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two days later they were heading to Debbie's for thanksgiving. 

Emmett would not be attending. He was booked for an event. Michael, Hunter, Ben and JR were there. Alicia and Aaron were there as well. Justin, Brian and Gus were greeted by them all. 

Ten minutes later Jennifer came in with a clearly petulant Molly trailing her. Justin inhaled sharply. His sister looked… bad.

She’d dyed her hair. It was black now, and she’d cut it short but it looked like maybe she’d done it herself. She’d gone goth, which he could forgive. Pale skin, black hair, whatever, teenage bullshit angst. But it was more than that. She’d lost maybe fifteen pounds that she sure as hell hadn’t needed to lose and he’d seen her less than eight weeks ago. He walked up to her and awkwardly tried to give her a hug.

She shrugged away from him. Never meeting his eyes. 

“Molly.”

“Hi Justin.”

“Hey kiddo.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

Justin looked at his mother and shrugged. He leaned in to hug his mother, genuinely happy to see her. When he pulled back he shot another worried glance at Molly and tried to say something. There was nothing to say. He sat down next to Brian and was joined by Aaron who handed them each a beer. He held his own and was peeling the label and explaining some new technique he’s read about to beat the next level of a new game he’d suckered Brian into buying.

Conversation started back up and everyone relaxed a little. Except Molly who sat in the corner and didn’t say a word. A couple of times her phone rang and she went outside to take the call. 

Justin eventually went out for a cigarette. Brian decided to leave the two of them alone and held Aaron back. “Give them a minute.”

“She’s creepy.”

“She’s a girl.”

“Same thing.

Brian laughed. 

Justin tried to start the conversation with Molly. He offered her a cigarette. She sneered at him and pulled out one of her own. Menthol. Justin tried not to roll his eyes. She didn’t try not to roll hers.

“Mom driving you insane?” Justin tried for a topic he thought they could both relate to.

Molly shrugged. “She’s okay, she mostly leaves me alone.”

“That’s cool. She was always on my case.”

“Yeah I guess she figured since that didn’t work she’d go this way.”

Justin blinked. She was still pretty fucking angry. “I keep trying to talk to you.”

“No you keep trying to talk _at_ me.”

“Conversation has to go two ways. You won’t talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You have people you talk to though right?”

“Yeah. Just not you.”

“Okay. You okay?”

“Fuck off Justin.”

“I’m just asking. You look…”

“If you say ‘like you’re not eating enough’ I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

Her eyes were sharp and blazingly angry against they graying four o’clock November sky. Justin believed her. “I was gonna say good with black hair. Pale skin against dark works.”

“You’re suck a fucking faggot.”

“Molly. Cut me some slack I’m trying.”

“Too little. Too late.”

“If you need something call me.”

“I don’t need anything from you. Just fuck off!” 

Molly stormed back inside and Brian quietly stepped out to have a cigarette and see if Justin was okay. He wasn’t. Brian put an arm around him. “She’s a little girl Justin, an angry, sad little girl…don’t let it get to you.”

“She’s my sister Brian. My angry sad little sister.”

Brian had no response to that. He lit his own cigarette and they stood on the porch watching the gray dusk become blue-black night.


	33. Chapter 33

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Molly’s POV

This is all so fucked. It’s bullshit. I’m biting my thumbnail and I look over and Justin’s doing the exact same thing and I stop. Fuck him. Mom thinks I’m going through a phase. Right. The phase where my faggot brother and his faggot half brother, well I guess he’s my faggot half brother too, pretty much killed my dad. Most teenagers go through that phase right?

What the fuck? I’ll never understand my mother. She and Justin are so fucking tight and she acts like she knows me. She doesn’t know shit. At least she’s backed off. Little ranting, little screaming, a few tears and she shuts the door and leaves me alone. Justin won’t back the fuck off.

I’ve done everything I can to make it clear that I hate him and he still keeps fucking trying. He’s so… persistent. And he keeps sliding these glances at me like he’s expecting me to cry, or scream or whatever. He can fucking wait forever. I’m not crying or screaming in front of him, or the rest of these freaks.

And his stupid boyfriend and Aaron and now his boyfriend’s kid are here. And that’s why _I’m_ here. Mom was all “don’t you want to see Gus, he’s practically your nephew.”

Um. No. He’s my stupid brother’s boyfriend’s son. He’s no relation to me at all. This whole ugly house is full of stupid people who are no fucking relation to me and they all act like they’re one big happy family.

Deb. Christ I hate that woman. I know mom likes her. She says she’s loud and rough around the edges but a good person. No. She really isn’t. She’s a fucking clown. And her moron son is no better with his little adopted street kid and his faggot partner. And Debbie thinks she knows EVERYTHING. She put a hand on my shoulder and acted like she knew how I felt. No one knows how I feel. Well, some do, Evan does, but I’m not with him today. I’m with my “family.” 

Deb can’t even recognize when she’s butting in. Ben is a fucking college professor. He and Hunter and arguing about some course scheduling bullshit for next semester and Deb butts her big fat mouth in. Um, hello, I think a college professor might know better than a stupid waitress who got knocked up in high school about um, college.

Whatever. Michael can’t stop playing with his fucking daughter.

Okay now I am gonna cry and I’m not doing it here. I walk out to have another cigarette.

Daughter. It meant something to my dad. Me being his daughter. He loved me. He really did. He didn’t love Justin. Don’t know how the fuck he felt about Aaron but he loved me. He told me so. He bought me a car. Never bought Justin a car.

And he stood up to mom on that. She was against it but he knew I needed it. Knew I needed to get away from her. 

And fucking Justin. He calls every fucking day. I keep ignoring the calls but eventually I have to pick up. I have to try to get him to understand that I hate him and it’s time for him to give it the fuck up. He doesn’t seem to get it.

And what is with them anyway. Okay, Brian’s a good-looking guy, for a really old guy, but it’s not like he ever talks to Justin.

Evan and I _talk_. We do more than that but sometimes we just talk. We’ll get in the car, he doesn’t have one but I do so it’s fine. He drives and we just go. Sometimes it’s around the city in circles. Sometimes we’ll go all the way out to Penn State for the night because his friend goes there. He goes to Pitt. We talk about everything. His classes, my classes, friends, life, bullshit, whatever. 

I get why Justin left. Hell if Evan didn’t live in the dorms I’d fucking move in with him. We’re gonna get a place together when I graduate. I so hate Justin. I so miss my friends.

I slip back in quietly, but not quietly enough. Justin’s staring at me, so is Deb. Mom walks over to me and sighs. She wants me to quit smoking. I go back to sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. I’m watching everyone I’m thinking about Evan.

Evan went home to see his family for the holidays. I wanted to go visit but mom said no. I’ll sneak away. He only lives about an hour out. But I could be there now. Instead I’m here.

Justin is playing with Brian’s kid. The kid keeps naming colors and Justin gives him that serious face and tells him he’s wrong and then makes up stupid fucked up color names. Gus thinks it’s the funniest thing ever. Brian’s fucking smiling like he’s got two fucking kids…

For a guy who hated his father Justin seems to be pretty happy to be with a guy who treats him like his son.

Gus's is giggling and for a minute I remember that Justin used to do that with me. When I was like five, whatever we were having for dinner, he’d make up these weird names for it. Gross names. Pissed mom off and we’d be laughing so hard we couldn’t eat. He used to draw me pictures of stuff that made me laugh. I hate him.

Mom looks like she’s about to break the glass she’s gripping it so hard. She’s expecting me to lose it. Not gonna fucking happen mom. Not in front of these people… they don’t fucking know me and I wish they’d stop asking me if I’m okay. I’m fine. 

Everything would be fine if Justin would just go back to New York. I don’t get it. He hated Pittsburgh. He hated everything about us, his family, and he left. What the fuck is he doing back.

He stayed away from us. He stayed away from me and then he fucking gets in dad’s face about Aaron. 

Yeah, couldn’t be bothered with me, not that I wanted him to be, but still. And now it’s like his boyfriend and him have fucking adopted the kid. Whatever.

I can’t stand them. And he’s younger than me and he’s sitting there talking to them and drinking a beer. If I tried that my mother’s head would explode but his mother’s not here and I guess when she’s not Justin has final say. How the fuck did that happen?

Justin’s some stupid kid. He acts all grown up and important but he’s a fucking faggot kid. He doesn’t know shit.

Yeah okay, he had a rough time. He got hurt…but seriously whose fault is that? You don’t fucking make out with your gay boyfriend at the goddamned prom and expect everyone to be like awww, they’re so cute. 

I don’t care that he’s gay. Not like dad did. I just don’t believe in god and if you wanna get laid and it feels good…fucking go for it. But not everyone feels that way and you don’t fucking flaunt it.

But Justin is an asshole like that. He didn’t give a second thought to what might happen and he still doesn’t. He still fucking flaunts it. 

That whole pretty boy blonde thing is just so tired. And no one realizes what a prick he is because they can’t see behind that sensitive artist bullshit routine he gives them.

That’s why I had to stop. I had to dye my hair. Last year I was on the cheerleading squad and everyone thought they knew just who I was. Blonde, cute, cheerleader. No one knew me.

Evan knew me. It sucks that he’s in college this year. I miss him at school but like I said we talk and he doesn’t fuck around on me. I know that. I may have been young. I may not know everything but I know Justin and Brian fuck around on each other all the time. They joke about it like sex is nothing.

Maybe it’s ‘cause they’re both guys. I don’t fucking know. All I know is that they don’t know what love is if they think you can fuck other people and still be in love.

They don’t.

I do.

Christ the smells in this house make me want to hurl. And the place feels so cramped with all these goddamned people.

I need to get out of here. Debbie’s calling us all to dinner. Like I’d eat. Like I can eat. Like I want to eat. It gets easier. The not eating thing. After dad died I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop crying and I couldn’t eat. Now I guess I can. I just don’t want to. I look good though. Lost a few pounds. Dad always called it “baby fat”. Not a fucking baby, but I was his baby.

Except I wasn’t. Aaron’s younger than me… Aaron was his baby. And Aaron made him lose it. Made him angry. So angry he got in an accident and now he’s gone. Aaron landed on his feet. Justin and Brian are taking care of him. Who’s taking care of me?

Fuck. I think I am gonna cry. I get up to go to the bathroom and I can’t even do that without a bunch of comments and questions about whether or not I’m okay. I can hear them talking. The fucking walls in this shithole house full of ugly crap are like paper.

I fucking hate them all. I’m so angry I’m seeing red. They don’t care. They don’t know me. I’ll just sit in here for a while. Hopefully I can avoid the whole food issue. Just sit in here and let them think I’m sick or something… but no. Mom’s knocking on the door. She’s got her concerned voice thing going for her. Like she really cares. If she cared she wouldn’t think I needed a shrink.

She thinks I’m crazy. Crazy? Her son gets engaged, a week later he moves to fucking New York, he’s dating a guy old enough to be his father and I’m crazy. Well I’m sorry I’m sad that my father died. I’m sorry I can’t but on”sunshine” smile the way Justin does and pretend it’s all just fine.

I storm past her out of the bathroom and grab my jacket. I’m gonna have another cigarette.

I hear the conversation stop as I walk through the living room and I know they were still talking about me. Freaks, all of them. They think I’m a freak because I died my hair. Yeah well so the fuck what. I could be blonde again in twenty minutes…they’ll still be freaks.

I reach into the inside pocket. It’s Evan’s jacket. He left it with me. Told me to think of him holding me when things got to tough. I pull out my other pack of cigarettes and there’s an envelope. I hold it under the porch light. It’s from Evan. I smile. And when I open it I smile wider. He left me a letter and a note. “To get you through.” Not much, Justin a couple Xanex and something else. I’m not sure what it is but the note says it’ll keep me from losing it with the freaks. Even so gets me. I love that. I swallow the pill dry and almost cough it up it’s bitter. 

I light my cigarette and by the time I come back to the table I’m feeling much better.

~**~**~***~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin knew he should stop staring at Molly but he couldn’t help it. She looked so… sad. She was angry. He knew that. He got that. He understood sad too but he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t talk to him. He knew how shitty dad could be and he was sad too. But she also looked… thin. 

He watched her fidget he watched her storm off to the bathroom. He heard Brian whisper something about drama princesses and Taylor family traditions but it didn’t seem funny right now. He didn’t really recognize this girl as his sister. It wasn’t just the hair, or the attitude. There was something else. Something hard in the lines of her face. He pushed it aside and tried to get Gus to eat something other than cranberry sauce but the kid was picking up the jellied slice that still had the can marks on it and Justin shook his head. He was kinda cute.

Later Deb was brewing coffee and everyone was stuffed. Deb was clearing the dishes and pulling out several pies. He helped Deb for a few minutes and went out to join Brian and Aaron for some fresh air.

Brian slid an arm around him and handed him the joint. Justin took a hit and passed it to Aaron.

“You’re sister’s totally wasted.”

Justin looked at Aaron. “She is not.”

Brian laughed. “Yeah she is.”

“Brian. You’re getting paranoid about everyone being a drug addict.”

“Didn’t say she was. Said she was wasted.”

Aaron nodded and Justin wanted to smack them both. But when they went back in he looked at Molly again and sighed. She was fucking stoned. And the thing is…she was fucking good at it.

Not as good as Brian, hell who is? But she knew how to handle whatever the fuck she was on. And whatever it was seemed to make her relax a little. Not totally. She still tensed when he went over to sit next to her on the floor. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her hands around her legs. Justin didn’t say anything he just sat. 

He had to admit it was a good place to sit. Granted he was doped up himself on weed and triptophan and just general ton of food that Deb had served but you could kind of see everyone from here. 

“You okay?”

“Fuck off.”

“Where do you want to be?”

“What?”

“It’s a game. You obviously don’t want to be here. Where _do_ you want to be?”

“Anywhere but here.”

“Sounds like a nice place.”

“It is. You’re not there.”

“Who is?”

Molly was stoned. Justin was hoping she’d open up a little. “Evan is.”

“He your boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Mom know him?”

“They met a couple of times.”

“He go to your school?”

“No. He’s in college.” She looked at Justin waiting for him to say something. He held his hands up and smiled a little.

“I’m not gonna say anything about dating older men.”

“He’s not old. He’s a sophomore.”

“You guys get a chance to see each other a lot?”

“All the time. He goes to Pitt.”

Justin nodded. “Molly you know you can talk to me right.”

She growled and Justin leaned back a little. “Why does everyone think I need to talk? How many times do I have to tell you that I have nothing to say to you?”

Justin shrugged and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “About a million. You’re my sister. I’m not going away.”

“Fuck you. You always go away, you’re good at it.”

Brian cocked an eyebrow at him and he gave him the finger. “Can we have lunch?”

“Why?”

“Because if you convince me you’re really okay. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine.” Molly sighed and those who had been watching the little drama unfold quickly went back to pretending to be busy.

“You want to meet me in the city, or I could come out there. Up to you?”

“When?”

“How ‘bout tomorrow?”

“Jesus, what, you like have no life?”

“Do you want me off your back or not?”

“Fine. Tomorrow. I’ll meet you in the city. Where are you gonna be?”

Justin gave her the address of the loft. “I’d say we could eat there but um… I think we’d do better in a restaurant.”

“You think I’m _not_ gonna scream or curse in a restaurant?”

“No, I just think if you stab me with a steak knife at least there will be witnesses.”

Molly laughed in spite of herself and Justin touched her hand. She jerked it away. “See you tomorrow at one.”

Molly nodded and Justin stood up just as Debbie started to pass out pie.

Justin sat next to Brian again and Aaron moved away to distract Gus from eating the entire pie with his hands.

“Lunch tomorrow?”

“We have to talk. She has to talk to me.”

“No she doesn’t.”

“I want her to.”

“Then I guess she will… you really can’t stand to be told no.”

“I really can’t.”

“Well hey, if persistence worked with me… what chance does a Taylor drama princess have against the drama queen’s.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, it may take 'til she’s your age but I guess eventually she’ll say something.”

“I’m leaving you alone at home tomorrow with Gus.”

“Aaron will be there. Alicia doesn’t get back from visiting her mother 'til Saturday”

“You can’t just foist Gus off on…”

“Relax. I’m fine. He’s my son. I can handle a few hours with my son.”

“Are you sure… you can’t just strap him into a baby seat anymore and forget about him.”

“Well, we can lock him in the closet.”

“Good plan. I’m sure Mel won’t mind.”

Gus ran up to Brian then and put a sticky hand on his knee. “More pie daddy.”

Brian picked him up and took him to the kitchen to wipe off his hands and face. Aaron joined Justin on the sofa. “You okay?”

Justin laughed. “Molly’s right. It’s the world’s most annoying question.”

Aaron nodded. “It really is. You know I have to see the school counselor?”

“Why?”

“Because dad died. They think I must be really upset.”

“Are you?”

“No, but it’s easier to tell them I am. If I say I’m fine they’re gonna throw me in a lockdown for sociopaths.”

“Yeah. Cause you’re really well adjusted otherwise.”

“Hey! Fuck you. I’m very well adjusted for a faggot half-breed with a twisted family.”

“Actually you are.”

Aaron lowered his voice a little. “You think Molly’s okay?”

“Go ask her. She loves that.”

“Fuck you.”

“You brought your stuff right?”

“Yeah. Are we going out tonight?”

Justin looked at the clock. It was only eight thirty. “We might. I’m not sure.”

“You know I can’t get in anywhere anymore.”

“Get your gag reflex back?”

“Shut up. Your stupid sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester put out the word or something and now I can’t get in if he’s not there.”

“But you don’t have to blow anyone to get in if he is.”

“Not worth the trade off if you ask me.”

“Aaron.”

“C’mon, I’m young and dancing is good for you. It…”

“If you tell me it releases endorphins I’m going to have to kill us both.”

“I was gonna say it’s like a good cardio workout that Brian pays a bazillion bucks to do at the gym.”

“Brian doesn’t go to the gym strictly to work out.”

“Duh.”

“He hasn’t taken you to the gym has he?”

“No, but I’m not like…retarded.”

“No you’re not _like_ retarded you _are_ retarded.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am sooo not.”

“Are sooo to.”

“Shit, that was pretty good shit.”

Justin started to laugh. “Yeah I think it was.”

Brian came back with a very happy Gus. He had one arm around his father’s neck and a large cookie in the other hand. “Brian we’re never gonna get him to sleep.”

“We’ll slip some Beam in his sippy cup.”

“Brian.”

“Fine. You take the cookie away.”

“No.”

Brian shrugged. So he doesn’t sleep. 

“Fuck, we have Gus we can’t go out.”

“We could leave Gus with Michael and his sister for the night.” Aaron suggested.

Brian winced. “Rather stay in that be subjected to hearing about that for the rest of my life. Besides, only losers with family issues go out on thanksgiving.”

“You’re just making excuses.”

“No but I got a box from amazon.com in the mail yesterday. Addressed to YOU.”

“Cool it came!”

“What exactly did you buy?”

“I told you.”  
  


Brian shook his head. “No you didn’t. And I’m gonna take my key back if you start…”

“Brian I told you. I preordered it weeks ago.”

“Fuck it’s out already?”

“Yeah”

“Did you find cheat codes yet?”

Justin took Gus to go get some milk and let the two of them debate the best strategy for a game they hadn’t even opened yet. His mother joined him in the kitchen.

“He’s really getting big.”

“I know.”

“I remember when you were…”

“Mom.”

“Sorry, holidays make mothers nostalgic.”

“Yeah well, you’ve got a petulant three year old living with you, she just happens to look like a seventeen year old vampire.”

“She’s hanging in there. This was really hard on her.”

“Are you sure she’s hanging in there?”

“Yeah. She’s eating again. That’s good.”

“She looks…”

“Thin. She couldn’t eat for a while but the doctor gave her some antidepressants and I think they’re working.”

“Well that’s good.”

Molly was standing at the door with her arms crossed. “Mom. You said we could go.”

“I’ll talk to you later sweetie.” She leaned over and kissed Justin. 

“Bye mom. See you tomorrow Molly.” Molly shot him a sneer before they both left.

Michael and Ben left soon after explaining they had to get JR to bed. Hunter left in his own car to catch up with some friends.

Brian and Justin were driving back home, Aaron and Gus both asleep in the backseat. Justin held Brian’s hand. “Stop fidgeting. You can light a cigarette as soon as we’re back.”

“Stupid kids. Stupid second hand smoke.”

“You could try to quit.”

“I don’t smoke around Gus, isn’t that enough?”

“Sure, I’m not a hypocrite.”

Brian’s glace slid towards Justin and he saw the broad smile on his face. He laughed. “At least you admit it.”

“After lunch with Molly tomorrow I have an appointment with a guy Paul wants me to meet.”

“Blind date?”

“Yeah, he’s trying to foist me off on some poor unsuspecting bastard so he can have you all to himself.”

“Well, you fuck the date, I’ll fuck Paul and I’ll meet you home by seven.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Jesus you two are twisted.”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“I was. But I was having a nightmare about Brian fucking Paul.”

Brian laughed. “That’s a wet dream not a nightmare.”

Aaron shuddered. “Paul’s got a beard.”

“Those have uses.”

“Brian. Gus is in the car.”

“It’s okay, Gus can’t grow a beard yet.”

“Brian.”

Brian shut up. He really needed a cigarette.

Justin was still thinking about Molly when they parked. Brian carried Gus upstairs and changed him in to his pajamas. The kid never woke. 

They closed the door and left the night light on. Gus and his father both hated sleeping in the dark. Brian then gave Aaron the box and watched as he ripped into it.

Justin kissed him on the cheek. “You’re letting him play you.”

Brian shrugged. “I was gonna buy Mechassault2 anyway.”

“You were?”

“Things blow up. It’s cool.”

“I understand you and Michael so much better now.”

“Join us.”

“I want to do a little work before I have to meet with the prospective client tomorrow. Don’t be too long.”

“Hour tops.”

Justin looked at his watch. It was almost ten. “I’ll see you at two.”

Brian leaned in and kissed him. His mouth was against Justin's ear as he whispered; “I’m not giving up an opportunity to blow you just to blow stuff up.”

“Good to know.” Justin smiled and Brian was upstairs by midnight. Justin was naked thirty seconds after that.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin buzzed Molly up and she entered the downstairs slowly. “This place is nice.”

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here.”

“You never invited me.”

Justin tried not to lose patience. “I know. I guess we really lost track of each other.”

Molly shrugged. “You knew where I was.”

“You want a tour?”

Molly shrugged again and Justin walked her through the downstairs. Outlining the plans they had for after the New Year when the renovations start. “We just put in the stairs. Brian only owned the upper part before.”

“It’s kinda big.”

“He’s got a kid now. And I live here too.”

“But you always lived here.”

“No, not always.”

“I mean, once you left. Duh.”

“No not even then. I lived at Deb's for a couple years. Then with um, someone else and then with Daphne.”

“But you left to live here.’

“Things don’t always work out like you planned.”

“So why didn’t you just come home?”

“You know why.”

“Yeah but after… I mean, you left and then you came home for like a week and then you were back here.”

“And then I wasn’t.”

Molly looked at him and Justin couldn’t help feeling like she was trying to read his mind. “You should have stayed at home after you got hit in the head.”

“Didn’t want to.”

“But mom left dad so you could.”

“No she didn’t”

They were upstairs now and Aaron waved to her over a bag of chips. “Hi.”

“What’s he doing here?”

“His mom’s out of town for a couple days he’s staying here.”

“He needs a babysitter?”

Aaron shrugged and slid off the barstool. “I like it here.”

Brian was putting a sandwich in front of Gus. “Hi Molly.”

“Um, hi Brian.” She turned red and Brian tried not to smirk.

Justin tried not to be worried. That wasn’t blushing because you have a crush red. That was anger red. He looked over and Brian saw it too. “We’ll get going. I’ll see you later.”

“By seven when I’m done with Paul.”

Justin rolled his eyes and pushed Molly out of door.”

“You want to drive or should I?”  
  


“Can I smoke in your car?”

“Yes.”

“Then you can drive.”

Molly lit up as soon as she got in. “This car is old.”

“I needed to leave the one with Gus’s seat with Brian.”

“Brian bought you a car?”

Justin chuckled. “No. He bought a second car for himself and just trust me that it’s easier to let him think that.”

Molly exhaled and sighed. “I hate him.”

“That’s not fair you don’t’ know him. You have to know him to really appreciate how much you can hate him.”

Molly turned and looked at Justin questioningly. “You hate him?”

Justin shrugged. “Sometimes. Mostly not.”

“He ruined everything.”

“No. He didn’t.”

“Dad said he did.”

“Dad said a lot of things.”

“You hated dad.”

“No. I don’t think I did.”

“He hated you.” She wanted to see Justin react but he didn’t his voice was kind of calm and quiet when he said.

“Yeah, I think he did.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

“It did. I couldn’t fix it.”

“Did you even try?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Not hard enough.”

“Molly, you weren’t there.”

“Really, where was I? It sure felt like me listing to the three of you yell and scream at each other.”

They parked and Justin said nothing as they were seated in the smoking section of restaurant. 

Molly lit another cigarette and Justin lit one of his own. “I wish I could explain it to you Molly but it’s complicated honestly, most of it is just none of your business. But you have to understand that what was between dad and me, had nothing to do with mom and dad or you and dad, or even you and mom.”

“So you just want me to stop blaming you.”

“Maybe. I want you to stop being so angry about things that you had no control over and that probably did hurt you. They’re over. You can move on.”

“It’s easy for you. You didn’t care about dad.”

“I still cared about you.”

Molly exhaled with exasperation. “Sure in an ‘I hope she doesn’t get hit by a bus’ kind of way.”

“I probably should have been around more.”

“Didn’t matter. I was fine.”

“Then what the fuck are you so angry about.”

The waitress came and took their drink orders. Justin pushed back the urge to have a beer and when she left Molly had gone quiet.

“Molly.”

“Aren’t I allowed to be angry that my life is fucked?”

“Is it?”

“Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know anything about your life.”

“I know. And I don’t’ know why you suddenly do.”

“Because you…”

Molly waited. The waitress brought their drinks and they ordered. Molly ordered some kind of salad thing. Justin ordered a burger. The waitress left again and Justin tried again.

“You seem upset.”

Molly laughed harshly. “My dad died.”

Justin flinched at the honesty in the words. At the pain behind them. “I know.”

“So I’m upset.”

“Okay.”

“I’m the only one though”

“No you’re not.”

“Yeah, I am. You don’t care. Aaron doesn’t care…stupid fucking interloper.”

Justin tried not to smirk but Molly had at least been studying for the SAT’s. “Mom doesn’t care. And everyone wants me to just move on.”

“We want you to be happy.”

“I’m not fucking SUPPOSED to be happy you asshole. My dad died!”

Justin tried to lay his hand over his sister’s but she pulled it back. “How can I be happy?”

“You have people you talk to?”

“Yeah, I don’t’ need a fucking shrink. I have friends. I have a boyfriend. I’m fine.”

“Tell me about your boyfriend.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s creepy.”

“I didn’t ask about your sex life.”

“Good.”

Justin now wanted to ask if she had one. He held the thought back. Besides, he knew the answer, or thought he did. Seventeen with a long-term boyfriend in college. She had one. He tried not to shudder. “What’s he like?”

“He’s great. We’ve been together almost a year. He’s really smart. He took so many apAP classes that he started as a sophomore.

“What’s he majoring in?”

“Economics.”

Justin nodded. “Sounds cool.”

“He is. He’s fun too. Doesn’t sound it but he is. And he listens to me. Says he loves me.”

“You don’t believe him?”

“No I do.”

“That’s good.”

“Why are we talking about him?”

“Because it’s the first thing I got you to talk about.”

“Oh.”

“The cheerleading squad didn’t flip when you dyed your hair?”

“I quit the team last year.”

“Mom didn’t tell me.”

“Not sure she knows.”

“Why’d you quit?”

“Blonde cheerleader was too much of a cliché. Everyone thought I was stupid.”

“Now you’re a brooding Goth chick. They must think you’re brilliant.”

“Fuck you.”

Justin smiled a little. “You know, I’m not evil.”

“Prove it.”

“How?”

“Buy me something.”

“That’s dad’s trick not mine.”

He saw Molly’s face fall and realized he’d picked the exact wrong words. “Molly I’m…”

“Apologize and I’ll kill you.”

Molly lit another cigarette, she hadn’t touched her food. Justin was halfway through his. “He loved you Molly. He showed love and approval with money.”

“Unlike Brian.”

“Brian shows his appreciation in a lot of different ways.’

“But he supports you.”

“He pays for some stuff.”

“He’s your sugar daddy.”

“Really not but I’m not sure I could ever convince you of that.”

“Why didn’t you marry him?”

“Same reason I didn’t stay home. Can’t live my life based on what other people want from me.”

“He wanted you to stay.”

“No. He gets the whole, be who you are thing.”

“So does Evan.”

“Good.”

“Mom hates me.” Molly sighed dramatically.

“Mom loves you. She’s worried about you. But she loves you.”

‘She made you talk to me.”

“No. I’ve been trying to talk to you for a while.”

“And?”

“And?”

“Now that you have what do you think?”

“I think you’re unhappy and I think I miss you.”

“You can’t miss someone you don’t know.”

“Okay, I think you’re unhappy and I think I’d like to know you.”

“I’ll send you my new email address.”

“I’d like that.”

“Stop calling me every day.”

“If you take my calls when I do call. And I don’t mean take them and yell at me to fuck off.”

“I still don’t think I like you much.”

“Most people don’t.”

“And Aaron sucks.”

“He takes that as a compliment.”

Molly rolled her eyes and Justin laughed. He paid the check and dropped her back at her car. “I’ll email you when I’m back in New York.”

Molly said nothing as she got in her car.

Justin knew there were still issues but he was feeling like maybe he’d made some headway. 


	34. Chapter 34

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Justin’s meeting with the client went smoothly and he was back at the loft by four thirty.

Brian was laying on his back on the downstairs sofa. Gus was asleep on his chest and he didn’t want to move him. Justin’s expression was unreadable when he entered. Brian lifted an eyebrow and Justin shook his head indicating he didn’t want to talk about it.

Brian pulled up his knees to make room for Justin on the sofa and once he sat down settled his legs back over his lap.

Justin's hands were idly stroking the skin just under the hem of his jeans. He leaned back and let out a long breath.

“That good?” Brian's voice was low. He didn’t want to wake Gus, who’d been running around for the last hour and had finally worn himself out.

Justin shrugged. “I have no idea what the fu…” he glanced at Gus’s sleeping form. “What just happened with Molly. I’m either being conned or she’s willing to talk to me. But that one eighty was pretty fu…pretty fast.”

“Maybe she figured out you’re not evil.”

“She was pretty convinced of it yesterday. Where’s Aaron?”

“He went over to Deb's for leftovers a couple of hours ago. He’ll probably be back soon.”

“She really hates you.”

“She and your dad have matching temple veins.”

“You saw that?”

“Yeah. She hates me. He must have told her about me. And he knows me so well.”

“Well, you bring out that reaction in people. They love you or hate you. Either way it’s intense.”

“Well, glad it worked this way instead of her loving me and you hating me.”

“I’ve done my share of hating you.”

“Really?”

“No. I’ve done my share of wishing I could hate you.”

“Haven’t we all.”

Justin squeezed Brian’s ankle with affection. “It’s okay you hate yourself enough for the both of us.”

“Bullshit.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. When did Gus crash?”

“About half an hour ago.”

“It’s probably safe to move him.”

Brian gave a small shrug under Gus’s weight. “He’s comfortable. Let him be.”

Justin smiled. “You’re good with him.”

“It’s easy. He let’s me give him stuff without thinking it affects our relationship.”

Justin leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. “He’s your son. Your relationship with him is supposed to have a different balance. And you’re a part time dad. You’re supposed to spoil him.”

“Fuck, when did I start doing what I was supposed to?”

“I have no idea. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.”

Brain ran a hand through Gus’s hair. “Think he likes his new room?”

“The jumping on the bed and clapping wasn’t a big enough clue?”

Brian smiled. “Yeah I guess… “

“Don’t start questioning it Brian. Gus loves you. You love your son. It’s all good.”

“Michael gets up to see JR a lot.”

“Michael runs a comic book store. He doesn’t have clients whose multimillion dollar accounts will go elsewhere without your handholding.”

“I should get you a bigger place in New York. Then he could have a bedroom there.”

Justin shot him a withering look. “Do not use your son as an excuse to pay for a new place for me. I LIKE my place. You like my place.”

“I do not.”

“You like my ass. I keep it at my place.”

“Oh, then I love your place.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Gus started to stir and they both remained quiet but to no avail. He went from asleep and still to groggy and disconcerted to fully awake and ready to play in record time. “Jussin!”

“Hey Gus.”

Gus launched off of Brian's chest, leaving him to grunt and take a moment to get the air back in his lungs, and into Justin’s arms. “You went away.” He pouted.

“Just for a little while with my sister.”

“My sister's stupid.”

Brian bit his lip not to laugh. “She’s still a baby Gus. She’ll get smarter.” Brian rolled his eyes and Justin studiously ignored him.

“She cries all the time.”

“Well, babies do that.”

“I hate babies. I don’t want any more babies in the house. They smell.”

Brian laughed and carefully removed his legs from Justin's lap. He stood up and picked Gus up. “It’s okay, I think your mommies are done having babies.”

“Good.” Gus grumbled. Then he squirmed out of Brian's arm. “Jussin come see. Come see.”

Justin looked at Brian questioningly and Brian shrugged. He followed the sound of Gus’s voice into his new bedroom. 

“Brian.”

Brian ran a hand through his hair, which was currently everywhere at once. His jeans were unbuttoned and he was shirtless. Justin wanted him. He moved towards him slowly. His tongue sneaking out to teasingly lick at his lips.

“JUSSIN!”

Justin leaned his head back and sighed. “We’re done having babies too by the way.”

Brian laughed and Justin turned his attention back to the large pile of toys and games Brian had apparently bought him during his lunch date with his sister.

“These are for when you come visit daddy Gus. They’re gonna stay here okay?”

Gus pouted. Then he smiled. “But not this one.”

Justin looked at it. “Okay you can take that one with you.”

“Brian. He didn’t need…”

“He needed all of it.”

Justin sighed and wondered if Brian would ever feel comfortable with someone, even his son, loving him for reasons other than what he could provide. Now was not the time to get into it. Instead they played some of Gus’s new games and Justin fell just a little bit more in love with Brian while he watched him patiently allow Gus to move his own pieces around the board.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Molly’s POV

I hope that worked.

I was nice to him. Fuck, he was nice to me too but then he’s always been nice. It’s kind of part and parcel of his whole asshole thing. No one sees behind that “sunshine” façade. I can’t fucking believe where he lives. The place is huge and really nice and he kept talking about all the work they were gonna do. It’s cause he’s never fucking happy with anything. He always wants some thing bigger and better and more.

Asshole.

I light another cigarette and cringe at the thought of going home. Mom’s off today and she’ll just be sitting there with that concerned look on her face. Then she’ll quietly watch me all fucking day. Fuck it. I’m going to Evan’s. I call him to let him know.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“How’d things go with the asshole?”

“He’s still an asshole.”

“Did you do what I said?”

“Kind of.”

“Did you lose it in front of him?”

“A little. You should fucking see him and his boyfriend, this little family with my half brother and his boyfriend’s kid. It’s like Full House on acid.”

Evan laughed at that and I love the way he laughs. “I can’t go home.”

“Come here.”

“I was hoping you’d want me.”

“You know I want you.”

“I can’t fucking take them.”

“Call your mom or she’ll sic the cops on us trying to find you.”

“No she wouldn’t.”

“My mom’s cool with your staying.”

“My mom doesn’t care about me.”

“That sucks. You eat with your brother?”

“Yeah. Nice place. Free food on him, so I totally stuffed myself.”

……………………..

…………………….

“You don’t believe me?”

“I worry about you.” 

He worries about me. My heart fucking stops when he says that. It’s not that I’m going out of my way to make him worry, it’s just… I love that someone cares. Someone who isn’t legally responsible for caring. I couldn’t eat at lunch, way too much drama, makes a girl nauseous. But I will eat tonight. I don’t want him to worry. Well, I do, but not _really_ worry. That would be bad. That could get in the fucking way. Besides I’m not some little kid who needs taking care of.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you.”

I light another cigarette. I _know_ he loves me. I also know he’s amazingly understanding. We should have fucked by now. I know that too. Everyone assumes we have. Doesn’t help that last year we were all over each other in the hallways at school. That every time we get stoned or drunk we can’t stop touching each other…but we do stop.

I stop. I have to. 

I want to. I mean I really want to but there’s stuff I can’t do. Too personal. And it’s not about god or my dad or anything like that. It’s other stuff. I think about it and figure that ten more pounds should do the trick. If I can lose that maybe I can let him see me. Until then…he thinks he wants me but not with these thighs and not with this gut. 

The rest I can hide. But not the fat. Fuck. I’m gonna have to regale him with how much I ate at lunch so he doesn’t try to fucking feed me tonight.

Well, I can always blow him. Then I’m still totally dressed and he’s happy. That’ll work.

I can’t wait to see him but he’s right about my mom. If I call things will be easier. I call Amy first and make sure she’ll cover for me. She will…she always does. Best friends are like that.

“Mom.”

“Molly hi. How was lunch?”

“It was okay. Justin was kind of nice.” I hear her laugh. She thinks it’s funny that I don’t think he’s nice all the time. I’m so glad I’m not going home tonight.

“So anyway, I called Amy and she’s as bored as I am. I’m going to sleep there tonight. I’ll be home Sunday night.”

“You’re spending the weekend?”

“You don’t mind right? I mean I just need to hang out, eat some popcorn, watch some movie for the hundredth time. You know. Be normal.”

“No that sounds good. I’ll see you Sunday.” Sucker! The food thing, the laughing thing, I knew that’d get her. That’s how she wants to picture me, as some giggling idiot teenager without a care in the world. Fine. She can have that image. It’d be nice if it was reality but it isn’t. Reality is that I want to be with Evan. And we’ll laugh. And we’ll watch a crappy movie, but mostly to cover the sounds we make when he’s kissing me. We’ll drink a lot of beer and hopefully he managed to snag a bottle of hard stuff from his dad’s cabinet. I really just want to forget about my faggot brother and his little domestic bullshit life. I really just want Evan to hold me.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin was pulling the chicken nuggets and fries out of the oven and Brian was making a face. “They’re not for you. They’re for Gus.”

“My kid should have better taste.”

“Sushi? Sashimi? Phad Thai noodles and garlic coconut shrimp? He’s five Brian. He likes chicken nuggets and French fries.”

“When do they get taste?’

“I don’t know. Aaron, you want some chicken nuggets?”

“Yeah!”

“Apparently sometime after sixteen.”

“You did eat a lot of crap when I first met you.”

“I still do. Now you just sneak it off my plate and pretend it doesn’t count.”

“Bullshit.”

“What do you want for dinner now that we’ve fed the kids?”

Brian pinched his nose and Justin tried not to laugh. He didn’t try very hard. “Brian. This is one weekend. The next time we see each other, it’ll be…”

He stopped… the next time might be Christmas which would be equally domestic. “Okay…yeah, domestic as well, but the time after that, it’ll be time for the return to Babylon.”

“Stop using the “movie guy’ voice every time you say that.”

“I really can’t help it anymore. Oh and Zoë and Jared and Matt and possibly Becca said they might drive in for New Years. They want to see the new club.”

“They’re not staying here.”

“Why not?”

“I am not a youth hostel for your loser starving artist buddies. And I was planning on some seriously non public displays of affection to bring in the New Year.”

“Pfft. They can crash in the guest room, and on the sofa. They’ll stay out of the upstairs and besides, since when are any of your displays of affection non public?”

“I hate this place.”

“What place?”

“This. Shel and Mort’s whole domestic married vibe is in the fucking walls.”

“Fuckin walls.”

Brian and Justin both looked at Gus. They both tried not to laugh. They both failed miserably and moved further away to finish their discussion. 

“Look. Aaron’s gonna be here anyway. So I’ll put the guys up in a hotel and tell them we don’t have the space. But trust me. We’re brining New Years in with a bang.”

“And possibly a financial death knell.”

“It’s gonna be a huge success.”

“Why are your visits so fucking complicated.”

“HA! You admit my life is complicated.”

“No, _you_ make things complicated.”

“I can tell them no.”

“Tell them fine. I’ll have Cyn book a couple of rooms.”

“I can do it.”

“For New Years Eve? It’s probably already booked. Let’s use Cynthia.”

“Good point.”

“I have bad points?”

“Hundreds of them.”

“Really?”

“Aaron. Watch Gus, we’re going upstairs.”

Aaron rolled his eyes but said nothing. Gus was almost done eating but now found that he could build things with the extra nuggets.

Brian followed Justin up the steps and had him pinned against the bed in seconds. “You think I have hundreds of bad points.”

“I think I’m going to kiss every one of them.”

“You make no sense.”

“I can’t think when I want you this much.”

“How much?”

Justin moved and let Brian feel how hard he was for him. “Doesn’t seem like that much.”

“Brian.”  
  


“I bet I could make you want me more.”

“No such thing.”

“Is that a challenge?” Brian quirked and eyebrow and Justin groaned in frustration.

“No. Not a challenge. Not at all. No need to take it as such.”

“So you _could_ want me more.”

Justin put his hands over his face, knowing he’d lost. “This is a no win situation.”

“No. I think it’s a win win situation.”

Brian began to slowly peel Justin's shirt off. He kissed along his rib cage. He tongued his nipples slowly, deliberately. He was sucking on the spot where Justin's neck met his shoulder and felt his breathing change. He smiled and moved to the hollow of Justin’s throat.

He could almost feel his pulse beating there against his lips. He felt the skin warm as the flush of desire became more pronounced on Justin’s pale skin and he sucked at the spot, wanting to suck the life out of him. Suck the life into himself. Justin’s vibrancy, his tenacity, his ability to fucking accept things that Brian was still trying to process… it was all part of the package that was Justin. Part of the package that he loved.

He wanted that, he envied that. And now he was going to make Justin want him. 

His mouth was everywhere and his hands were slowly moving below the waistband of Justin’s sweat pants. He’s looked so hot today, dressed in the clothes they’d picked for when he met with clients. So… adult, and yet still like his little boy. He knew it was sick.

Brian was not unaware that it probably was pretty twisted on how much it turned him on that Justin still had the ability to look twelve sometimes. And most of the time he still looked less like a man and more like a teenager. But he knew that it wasn’t just the looks that got him. Oh, the looks got him; every fucking time, but it wasn’t JUST the looks. It was what he knew they hid.

Behind that twinkie exterior was something hard and solid and strong. He was smart and funny, and fucking insatiable as his hands and mouth were currently proving. Justin had taken this challenge thing to heart he realized because while he head been busy thinking about how beautiful his boy was…his boy had been working to get him off. 

Justin was moaning into his mouth. His hands were stroking him, and Brian realized that he was closer than he’d thought. See this didn’t happen when he fucked tricks. They couldn’t distract him from his primary purpose. Justin was fucking distracting even while he was fucking him. The kid was… 

Brian stopped thinking then. He had to or this would all be over and then he’d have to see that self-satisfied grin that he’d learned to ignore. He grasped Justin's arms and pulled them above his head. He heard Justin growl a little and he growled back and Justin shot him a full wattage smile and Brian tried to avoid blinking from the brightness then again, he fleetingly thought about warnings not to look directly at the sun.

He buried his face in the crook of Justin’s neck and bit down. There, that solved the whole “where to look” problem.

He held Justin's arms above his head and kept his body in line with Justin's. He felt his feet cross behind his back and Brian shook his head. He moved lower, relinquishing his hold on Justin’s arms and pressing his hands against the back of Justin’s thighs, pushing them over his shoulders.

He lowered his head and licked at his hole. His tongue probing the soft folds and his hands running up Justin’s body.

He made no sound and listened to Justin gasp and pant. He pushed his tongue inside the boy and felt his entire body buck. That’s what he was looking for. 

He kept at it. He didn’t care about anything else. Didn’t care about his own throbbing and leaking erection at the moment. He could even put aside how much he wanted to be inside Justin right now. He concentrated only on the feel of this body writhing and moving under his hands and tongue. He concentrated on the sounds Justin wasn’t even trying to hold back. Deep inhuman and wholly pornographic sounds that only Justin made. That Justin only made for him. 

When he was begging. When he was literally trembling beneath him. Every touch against his slick sweat soaked skin making him react as if shocked; Brian moved Justin’s ankles to his shoulders and pushed into him in a single smooth stroke. He bent him in half and kissed him hard. 

Justin leaned up, arching his body a little and sucked on Brian’s tongue in a rhythm that matched the one Brian had set. Brian pushed harder. Justin’s feet were beside his head now and Brian felt as if he could pick him up and just stash him away somewhere. Keep him from all the bullshit. All the complications that seemed to follow him around. Keep him for himself alone.

The he felt Justin’s body begin to quiver. He felt the change in his breathing, he felt him give over to the pure release and he came…pulling Brian to him and gasping his orgasm against Brian's neck until Brian followed him. 

A few moments later he rolled off of Justin and discarded the condom. Justin moaned. “I think I need to start taking yoga or you need to find a new favorite position.”

“Losing your flexibility?”

  
”I’m not as bendy as I was at seventeen.”

“You’re still as hot.”

“Whatever.” Justin stretched, knowing his thighs would be feeling this for days. “I should probably get a gym membership. Will you still want me when I’m so buff you can bounce a quarter off my pecks?”

Brian laughed. “Get to that point and we’ll see.”

“You’re not sure?” Justin pretended to pout.

“I’m pretty sure I’d want you even if you became a raging steroid case who couldn’t put his hands down at his sides and looked more like a midget wrestler than a man.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t do that though.”

“Jesus. You really think I have this whole new attitude towards drugs.”

“I’m just saying I don’t really have a need to bounce quarters off your chest.”

“Because you have guys for that?”

“Yeah, that’s the kind of freak I am. I line up guys just to bounce quarters off them.”

Justin laughed. “I’m having a weird mental image.”

Brian stubbed out his cigarette and kissed him. “Let’s shower. We should probably watch a movie with Gus or something.”

“Yeah. You okay?”

“What?”

“You were finding everything claustrophobically domestic and complicated. That’s why we came up here.”

“We came up here because I hadn’t fucked you since this morning.”

Justin was standing under the water now. He kissed Brian's chest. “You can go out tonight if you need to. Aaron and I can keep an eye on Gus.”

“I don’t need to go out. And Gus is going home tomorrow night.”

Justin said nothing, but he sighed and smiled as Brian worked the shampoo through his hair. Brian would rather spend the night in, watching a movie with his son, than go get laid… he’d never say it out loud. Justin would never say it out loud. It was, however, an amazing thing to know.


	35. Chapter 35

 

 

 

* * *

 

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

 

 

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later Justin was trying to concentrate on the new art for the upcoming issue of Rage. He couldn’t focus. He was antsy and distracted. He called Brian.

“You busy?”

“No.” Justin heard him shuffling some papers around.

“I can call back.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Good. What’s new?’

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Probably.”

“Tell me again why I bother.”

Brian laughed. “With what exactly? You bother with a lot of things.”

“With Rage, with my art, with Taylormade. Why do I bother with any of it?”  
  


“Because when you’re not creating something you get hives.”

“Oh yeah, that.”  
  


“That.”

“People are stupid.”

“Is this news?”

“It’s just… why do they pay me to do something they could just as easily do for themselves if they bought the right software?”

“You really believe that?”

“Of course. This shit’s so easy.”

“For you. Not everyone has your talent Sunshine.”

“Bullshit.”

“No. It isn’t.”

“Brian.”

“It’s not Justin. What the fuck?”

Justin sighed. “Sorry, feeling like a hack today.”

“What happened?”  
  


“I submitted some work to a publishing house who was looking for an illustrator for some sci-fi novels.”

“You hate those.”

“But the money would have been good and the exposure might have been helpful, plus connections like that can be pretty useful.”

“But…”

“Got the letter today. ‘Thanks but no thanks.’”

Brian laughed. 

“Then I called my whatthefuckever boyfriend or something and he laughed at me. The day just keeps getting better and better.”

“You’ve never been rejected?”

“Fuck you, you know I have. Tons of time, millions of galleries have told me I suck. And that stupid mediocre piece from the show still hasn’t sold. They’re taking it down tomorrow.”

“But you still have a show with them mid January.”

“Yeah.”

“And the reviews for the last show were pretty good.”

“Mixed is a better word.”

“So some stupid publishing company doesn’t think that you should be the one drawing shit that you don’t want to draw anyway and now you’re a hack.”

“The Ritterman project is so boring I want to claw my eyes out.”

“Pass it off to someone else.”

“They’re paying me a shitload of money.”

“Finish it and go out and buy yourself something amazing with the money. Make the boredom pay off.”

“Is that what you do?”

“I pass the boring ones off to Cynthia. She passes it off to other account managers. You’re not there yet.”

“You think I’m gonna be there?”

“Do you want to be? Didn’t think you wanted to run a company. Thought you wanted to be an artist.”

“Like I know what the fuck I want today.”

“I can make it down on Thursday.”

“I always want _you_ but no you can’t. And I’ll be up in two weeks for Christmas.”

“So what’s really going on?”

“Everything I said plus…”

“Plus?”

“Molly.”

“She still hating life?”

“No. She’s um. I don’t know. She seems to have calmed down. Well I thought she had.”

“But?”

“Last email, pure vitriol.”

“Send it to me.”

“Can’t. Promised her I wouldn’t.”

“To me specifically?”

“To anyone. That was part of the deal when she said we’d stay in touch.”

“You and your fucking rules of communication.”

“Who are you talking to right now?”

“You.”

“You think we’d still be together if I hadn’t insisted on some rules about communication?”

“Probably not.”

“So shut up.”

“So what’s she upset about?”

“Evan, me, Aaron, mom. A lot about mom.”

“Wow, a teenage girl hates her mother.”

“Mmm sarcasm.”

“She hates Jenn. You hated Jenn. I hated Jenn, and I wasn’t a teenager.”

“You hated my mother?”

“Yes. And you know it. ‘Don’t’ see my son. Take my son. Stop hurting my son. It’s all your fault…blah blah blah.” Brian used a falsetto voice and Justin laughed.

“My mother didn’t sound like that. She did do that huh?”

“It’s okay we got past it.”

“Really past it.”

“Now you wish I hated your mother?”

“No I just don’t see where having lunch with her when I’m not around is necessary.”

“You talk to me more than you talk to her.”

“I call her at least once a week.”

“Mmm hmmm.”

“I do. And she knows all he highlights.”

“She wants the details.”

“Oh god, what details to you give her?”  
  


“Oh you know, the basics. I record our phone sex. Keep some of the web cam sessions, burn them all onto a disc and pass it to her over our Caesar salads.”

Justin laughed again. “You like my mom.”

“She’s worried about Molly too.”

Justin was quiet for a moment. “I’m coming home.”

“Bullshit. You’ve got the Ritterman thing to do. You’ve got a show to get ready for and you’ll be away for at least ten days after Christmas because we’re going to Toronto.”

“Oh yeah.”

“You’ve got the newest Rage issue that Michael won’t shut up about.”

“Beats hearing about JR’s stupid um… whatever.”

“Yeah, but only slightly. I just keep plying him with drinks 'til he goes back to mooning over me.”

“I thought he was over that.”

“‘Til he’s completely wasted.”

“Loser.”

  
”Be nice.”

“I am.”

“Yeah, I guess you are for you.”

“So mom’s worried about Molly too?”

“Usual stuff, grades slipping, spends a lot of time with friends and her boyfriend.”

“Mom knows she has a boyfriend?”

Brian smirked “she will now.”

“Fuck Brian, you can’t tell her.”

“Why not. _You’re_ not allowed to tell her. I can tell her anything I want.”

“But… fuck. You already knew she had a boyfriend you’re fucking with me.”

“Duh. Molly won’t tell you shit if she thinks you’re reporting back to your mother.”

“She doesn’t tell me shit now.”

“So why the new worry?”  
  


“She seems… I don’t know… off.”

“Off?”  
  


“I’m probably blowing it out of proportion.”

“Wow, you do that?”

“Fuck you.”

“You okay?”

“Grrr… so hate that question.”

“Okay, but you know you’re not a hack.”

“Kind of.”

“And you know Molly’s okay. And your mom is on top of it.”

“Kind of.”

“And you know I’ll visit this weekend if you want me there.”

“I do. But I have too much work to do and you’re too distracting.”

“So I’ll talk to you later today?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey.”

“What.”

“Stop beating yourself up. You don’t run the world.”

“Yeah, that’s you.”

“Exactly.”

“Later Brian.”

“Later Sunshine.”

Justin tried to concentrate on the Rage graphics. Brian wondered if there was more to what was upsetting Justin. He pushed the thought away. They were honest with each other. Justin was right. The only reason this whole long distance thing still worked for them is because flights were short and they didn’t hold shit back. 

So what the fuck _was_ up with Molly? Brian wanted to go talk to her, just to ease Justin's mind but he knew it would do far more harm than good. It’s not like he’d never dealt with blistering hatred before. Hell, he’d dealt with Melanie for years. 

Hs shook it off and got back to figuring out how far he could push the envelope on the new campaign for the tech company.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Three nights later Brian returned home to the sound of explosions and gunfire. He sighed. Aaron. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Next time call.”

Aaron put down his controller and followed Brian into the bedroom. “Why?”

“Maybe I had plans.”

“Do you?”

“I’m going out.”

“Cool, where’re we going?”

“We’re not going anywhere.”

“C’mon. I want to go with you”

“It’s good to want things. Builds character.”

“But…”

Brian finished changing his clothes and left. Aaron stared at the door and debated following. He’d come to know Brian pretty well recently. He considered Brian’s attitude and expression and decided maybe he should head home and leave Brian alone for the night. He called Justin.

“Brian’s mad.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing what did _you_ do?”

“Uh, I’m not responsible for his moods.”

“I am?”

Justin sighed. “Define mad.”

“He came home, changed his clothes, went out and wouldn’t take me with him.”

Justin laughed, relieved. “He’s not mad. He’s stressed. Go home. He’ll be fine tomorrow but GO HOME.”

“Why can’t I hang around here?”

“Trust me. Go home.”

“He’s gonna bring some trick back to your home?”

“I’m not there. He can do what he wants. Go home, you’re too young to see what’ll come back through that door.”

“You don’t know everything about him.”

“Aaron.”

“Yeah?”

“Go home.”

“Fine.”

Justin called Brian’s cell. “Aaron thinks you’re mad at him. Be nice to him tomorrow.”

“I’m not mad I’m…”

“Overworked, horny and stressed? Yeah. He won’t be there when you get back, I’m just saying be nice to him tomorrow when you feel better.”

“Do I have to?”

Justin laughed. “No. But you’re going to be anyway.”

Brian hung up on him and Justin laughed again. He started working on something when he realized what he really really needed. He called Matt. “Come out with me.”

“Can’t.”

“Can.”

“Shouldn’t”

“Should.”

“I’m a writer. I use words for a living. I could argue my way out of this.”

“I’m really persistent. It won’t work.”

“Meet you there in half hour.”

“See you then.”

Justin changed his clothes and wondered why he hadn’t been out dancing in almost a week. He forgot how much it did clear his mind and relax him.

He woke up at eleven the next morning. It was Saturday. He called the loft. 

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, you?”

“I was fine, you were the one who was…”

“I know what I was.”

“And you’re not anymore?”

“It’s an amazing cure all.”

“Tell me about it. Phone says you called last night.”

“Does it say that you talked to me?”

“Just says you were the last incoming call at like four thirty in the morning.”  
  


“I’m gonna get insulted if you keep forgetting when you talk to me.”

“Fuck you.”

“You were tweaked.”

“I’m fine now.”

“Me too.”

“Less than a week and I’ll be home.”

“I know.”

“What are you doing today?”

“Shopping.”

“You haven’t finished yet?”

“And I supposed you’re done and everything is wrapped perfectly and ready to go under the tree.”

“Um, actually I haven’t started.”

“Brilliant.”

“Shut up So Babylon’s done?”

“Yeah. Liquor deliveries not withstanding. Pretty much done.”

“Can’t wait to see it.”

“What’s Aaron gonna do now that he can’t work there after school.”

“Seems his plan is to see how far he can push me before I kill him.”

“Well, let me know how that goes.”

“You’ve got the record so far.”

“He won’t beat me, I’m not worried.”

“You should be.”

“Should I?”

“Yeah, he’s not turning into a creepy crystal queen.”

“HEY! I’m not creepy.”

Brian laughed. “I saw Molly and her boyfriend the other day.”

“Where?”

“I had to go to Pitt we’re doing some brochures for them. The dean thinks because he runs the school he runs the city or something. Demanded a meeting with me, in person, in his fucking office.”

“The nerve of some clients, thinking that they have a right to actually be in your presence.”

“Fuck off.”

“So Molly and Evan.”

“Yeah, they were talking or something.”

“Or something.”

“Arguing. They were definitely arguing.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been yelled at by a irate seventeen year old Taylor kid…I know what that looks like, even from a distance.”

“You find out what it was about?”

“No. Watched them for a couple minutes but they didn’t see me.”

“Watched them?”

“Was feeling nostalgic.”

“Bullshit, you can see me yell any time you want.”

“Molly was mad. Wanted to make sure Evan didn’t get…mad.”

“Did he?”

“No. Molly hit him in the arm, hard. He didn’t flinch.”

“Didn’t hit her back.”

“Like I’d tell you if he did.”

“Like you’d let it go if he did.”

“He didn’t. Just your standard lovers spat.”

“She didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“Hmmm. Schools still in session. One o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon, and your sister is seeing her boyfriend near his dorms. Wonder why she didn’t tell her big brother.”

“Shit. She’s skipping school to fuck that guy.”

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Why didn’t you ever skip school to fuck me?”

“You were at work. I wanted to graduate. I was probably already sore from the previous night and wanted to save my strength for the coming night. Pick one.”

“Point.”

“Plus I show up to fuck you when I’m supposed to be in school… you’re reaction?”

“Kick you out and make you go back to school.”

“Yeah, you were weird about that.”

“And it worked so well because you got your college degree… oh wait.”

“Stop it.”

“I just don’t see how they’re going to be able to give you an honorary doctorate if you never got your bachelor’s”

“And we all know I’m in it for the meaningless honors.”

“Three days?”

“Clear everyone out of the loft. I want you to myself.”

“Done.”

“I should go finish up the Ritterman sketches. I’m gonna be away for a long time.”

“Two weeks.”

“Sixteen days.”

“Whatever.”

“Be nice to Aaron.”

“Who said I’m seeing Aaron today.”

Justin heard some muffled sounds in the background. “Aaron?”

“How the fuck did you know?”

“You have a better gaming system. He likes that.”

“He wants me to take him out tonight.”

“Let him go with Emmett and Gordon.”

“We’ll be fine.”

“Three days.”

“See you then.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~***~~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Three days later Brian was there to meet Justin at the gate. 

His mouth covered Justin's and his tongue was pushing its way past his lips before they even said hello.

When they finally pulled apart Justin’s face was red and his eyes were that hazy blue they got when he couldn’t think beyond his need for Brian. Brian smiled. “I brought the Jeep.”

“I have luggage.” He seemed to be pouting.

“We’ll get the luggage, and then…”

“Sounds good.”

“This almost a month apart shit sucks.”

“Not in any kind of good way.”

They were at the luggage claim waiting for Justin’s bags. “You’re all dressed up.”

“Had a meeting right before the flight.”

“You get the job?”

“I think so. Sending the preliminary sketches to them next week.”

“I thought you were taking the next two weeks off.”

“Too good an offer to pass up.”

“Really?”

“Guy’s connected, and loaded, and he wants me to do a commissioned work for this huge space. Actual art not some stupid computer aided design that anyone could do.”

“Someone’s tense.”

“Someone hasn’t been properly fucked in almost a month.”

“Awww, you say the sweetest things.”

Justin grabbed his bag and lifted the handle. He handed Brian the matching duffle and wrapped an arm around his waist. He stood up until his mouth was even with Brian's ear. “I need you now.”

Brian grinned wickedly and they walked as quickly as possible to the car.

Brian was packing the luggage behind the front seats. Justin met him at the back with a condom packet and a smile. He was already naked. Brian climbed in behind him and lay on his back letting Justin straddle him. “Watch your head sonny boy. Low ceilings.”

Justin didn’t care. He slid down taking all of Brian into him and Brian realized he must have prepared himself while he was putting the luggage away. He moaned at the thought and then his vision was full of nothing but Justin’s face. His blue eyes boring into him. His blonde hair, which really needed a cut, was spilling over both their faces.

Brian ran his hands through the soft locks and pulled Justin's head toward him. They kissed. Electricity running through them both as Justin ground down on Brian's erection, squeezing and teasing him while he plundered Brian's mouth with his tongue.

When they were both finally ready to re dress and head to the loft it was almost an hour later.

“This is my favorite of all the cars you’ve ever owned.”

Brian wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. “Welcome home.”

“Mmm. Home.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Justin called Molly the next day to see if he could convince her to have lunch with him. He was surprised when she agreed. He offered to have Evan join them but Molly said she wasn’t really interested in the whole “meet the folks” thing with Evan. Justin backed off.

School was already out for winter break. Molly met him at the loft. She walked in and Justin tried not to look startled. She looked… sick.

Her hair was a dark purple. Her clothes were all black and he supposed that made her look thinner, but her face. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her neck was… Justin wondered if her head had always been too big for her body and he’d never noticed. He wondered how she managed to hold her head up.

He leaned forward to hug her and she backed away. “We’re not there yet.”

Justin nodded. “Where do you want to eat?”

She shrugged. “I had a huge breakfast, I’m not hungry.”

“You look.”

She smiled and ran a hand through her still short hair. “I know. Finals really kicked my ass this year.”

“Couldn’t Evan help you with all his AP classes?”

“We um… we’re not… I dumped him.”

“Oh.”

“It’s okay. My choice. It’s really better this way.”

“Okay.”

“It is.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, what are you getting mom for Christmas?”

Justin shrugged. “Haven’t thought about it yet. Christ I’ve only got four day, I guess I should.”

“Well, we could go shopping instead of lunch. Kill two birds with one stone.”

Justin smiled. “I’d like that. And you’d probably know what she’d like more than I would. You still live with her.” Justin stopped. Fuck. He hated all the land mines of conversation with Molly. She saw him and smiled. 

“It’s okay. I do live with her. You don’t. But I have no fucking clue what she wants.”

“You wanna drive or should I?”

“You have the ‘vette or the Jeep today?”

“Jeep.”

“You drive. That thing has a kick ass sound system.”

They drove listening to the loud bass of whatever it was Molly loved. Justin realized he was old because it didn’t even sound like music to him. He pushed the though away and watched as Molly ran her hand through her hair again. The long sleeved sweater slipped a little and he saw he wrist bones sticking out. Christ. Something was seriously wrong.

They walked through the mall kind of slowly. Molly didn’t seem to have a lot of energy.

“Mom took me to the doctor. Thought I had mono.”

“Did you?”

“No, he said I was anemic and that I needed to eat better.”

“Or at all.”

Molly gave him a death glare. Justin shrugged. “Get mad if you want. You look like a fucking skeleton.”

Molly shook her head and moved towards a collection of crystal vases. “For mom?”

“I think she has a bunch of those.”

“Maybe that’s why they looked like something she’d like.”

“But she doesn’t.”

“Then why does she have so many?”

Justin didn’t know how to respond. The real answer was that Craig bought her expensive flowers in expensive vases whenever he fucked up, so over their twenty-year marriage, she’d collected quite a few. He bit his lip. “I think it’s one of those things where people see that you have them, assume you like them and buy more.”

“Like the fucking tulips.”

“Huh?”

“I saw this picture I liked. It was like cheerful and shit. And don’t give me that look it was a while ago. It’s like famous or something, you probably know all about it. Anyway it’s of tulips. So I had a picture of it in my room. And I found a sticker of the scene and put it inside my locker. All of a sudden everyone thinks I fucking love tulips.”  
  


“Oh… that explains your bedroom.”

“Exactly. Fucking stuffed tulips. Tulip printed duvet and shams. Mom stenciled tulips around the door of my closet.”

Justin laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you.”

“Yes you are.”

“Yes. I am.”

“It sucks.”

“Sorry. I think I bought you some tulip crap too.”

Molly shrugged. “You asked mom, she told you I liked tulips.”

Justin nodded. She wasn’t wrong. “Listen. I have no idea what you might want for Christmas… but as part of the gift, I’ll help you detulipize your room if you want.”

Justin saw something he wasn’t sure he’d seen from Molly in a long time. A genuine smile. “Really?”

“Sure. Coat of paint. New bedding and sheets. You can pick a print or something you like and I can frame it out for you. Look a little less like a tulip princess, little more like you know…you.”

“Cool.”

“Not black. Mom will kill me if I paint your room black.”

“Navy?”

“How bout the color of your hair. That looks cool.”

“Maybe.”

They were discussing other options and flipping idly through crap at a store designed specifically for angry freakish youth when Justin felt someone lick his ear.

He slapped the pervert away.

“Ow.”

“Oh. Sorry, thought you were a random pervert.”

“Do a lot of random perverts do that to you?”  
  


Justin smiled and didn’t reply. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were taking your sister to lunch.”

“She’s over there she wasn’t hungry.”

Brian looked over. “Where?”

“Purple hair.”

“Holy shit.’

“I know.”

“She’s…”

“Let it go.”

“Whatever.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Cynthia threatened to quit if I made her go to the mall on her lunch hour this close to Christmas.”

“She wouldn’t quit.”

Brian looked guilty.

“You were gonna ask her to pick up her _own_ present weren’t you?”

Brian pulled his bottom lip into his mouth. “Not exactly.”

“Explain the exactly part.”

“Well it was more, um…”

Justin glared at him. Brian sighed. “Yeah, I was. But I wasn’t gonna TELL her it was for her.”

“But she figured it out.”

“She knew I wouldn’t buy your mother a coach briefcase.”

“Why not?”

“It’s what I got her last year.”

“Oh yeah.”

“So… fuck. Hang on.”

Justin walked over to where Molly was sitting on a stool. “What are you doing?”

“Getting a couple more holes in my head. You want some more too?”

Justin flinched and Brian watched the interaction from a distance. “One’s enough thanks.”

“Whatever fag.”

“Look freak…”

The guy looked up. She said that guy’s her father.”

Molly smiled and Justin sighed. He pulled Brian over. “Say okay.”

“No.”

“What?”

“What am I okaying?”

“Molly’s rebellion against everything blonde pretty and happy.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“See, he’s waaay over eighteen and he says okay.”

The guy shrugged and pulled out the gun thing. Brian and Justin watched as he put three more holes in her ear. “You need to stretch them slowly. So…”

“Be sure to use lube.”

Justin hit Brian in the chest a little harder than necessary and Molly scowled at him. The guy ignored them both. “Just keep it clean and don’t try to push it.”

Justin pushed Brian away before his tongue in cheek smirk became a lot of innuendo he really wasn’t looking to put into his sister’s brain. “Go buy Cynthia something worthy of her. No, wait. We can’t afford anything worthy of her. Go buy her something amazing. And then fill it with Godiva and whatever that perfume that she wears is. And don’t buy anything with tulips for my sister she hates them.”

“What are we getting your mother this year?”

“ _We_?!? When did we start doing that?”

“I don’t know, since I ran out of ideas.”

Justin laughed. Look, I have to take my little self-mutilating freak of a sister shopping for what SHE and I are going to get my mother. You get your whatever the fuck in-law whatever you want. We’ll discuss others later.”

Brian laughed. “You’ve been home two days and you’re frazzled.”

“Have I mentioned that life is complicated?”

“Have I mentioned…”

“Go away.”

Brian leaned down to kiss Justin. Justin stopped pushing him away. “C’mere.”

Brian moved forward a little and every little freak in the store was staring. “Christ. Can you two just get a room?”

Brian laughed and waved goodbye to Molly who was scowling. “You two are disgusting.”

“Because we’re fags?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “Like I give a fuck about that. You’re disgusting because you’re like old and you can’t keep your hand off each other.”

Justin shrugged. “What about earrings for mom.”

Molly nodded slightly and they headed towards Saks and the fine jewelry counter. “She’s gonna know you paid.” Molly said as they debated what their mother would like.

Justin shrugged. “Yeah but she’ll be so happy we did something together that it wouldn’t matter if we bought those.” Justin pointed to a pair of particularly ugly earrings.

Molly was fiddling with her new earrings. 

“That hurt?”

“Not too much.”

“Mom’s gonna freak.”

“No. As long as I eat she leaves me alone about everything else.”

“Why haven’t you been eating?”

“Wasn’t hungry.”

“Hungry now?”

“I told you I had a big breakfast.”

“I mean in general.”

“Yeah, I put on a couple of pounds last month.”

Justin nodded. “I’m not gonna nag.”

“Yes you are.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“But you’ll do it anyway. You’re more of a nag than mom.”

“Probably.”

“Are we getting grandma something?”

“I’ll help you but she won’t speak to me so no. Not from me.”

“Whatever.”

“Molly.”

“I know. She doesn’t like you. She likes me.”

“Good.”

“You’re not jealous?”

“I stopped trying to get her and dad to like me years ago.”

Molly looked like she was about to cry. Justin pushed the earrings and his credit card towards the clerk. “Wrapped please.”

The clerk nodded and Justin took Molly’s hand. She pulled away. “I’m fine. I just miss him sometimes.”

“Well… you should. He was your dad.”

“Yours too.”

“Not in the same way.”

“I know. He loved me best.”

“He did.”

“Except I think he loved Aaron.”

“You were his only daughter.”

“Fuck.”

“It’s okay.”

“No I’ll be out front.”

Justin nodded and signed the slip. He found Molly outside, in front of the store, smoking. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed but she wasn’t currently crying.

He lit a cigarette of his own. “The car’s that way.”

Molly nodded and started to walk. Her face was soon red from the cold and her lips were blue by the time they got in the car. Justin’s face was red as well but Molly was shaking, her teeth chattering. He started the car and as soon as the engine warmed up he aimed all the warm air at her and let it blast.

She sat on her hands and rocked back and forth until the car was almost unbearably warm and her body turned a more natural shade of pale and stopped quaking with cold.

“You have no idea how much I want to ask if you’re okay.”

“Thank you for not asking.”

Justin nodded and they headed back to the loft. “You should come and stay some night. We could do something for the whole day, or just stay up late and watch movies.”

“Maybe.” 

Molly got in her car and drove away and Justin wasn’t sure if they’d made any progress in the month he’d been gone. They’d talked, about nothing consequential. They’d emailed, about nothing at all, and when Molly did deign to spend time with him, she kept her distance, physically and emotionally. 

Then again, she was no longer cursing him out all the time… that might be considered improvement.

He started working on the new sketches while he waited for Brian to get home so they could figure out something to do about dinner. Molly may have had a big breakfast but he was starving.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Molly’s POV

Well that was stupid. I thought the mall would be safe. I mean yeah, there’s food there but nothing any sane human would eat. And I wouldn’t be trapped like I would in a restaurant.

Justin was being his usual nice self again. He’s good at pretending things don’t bother him. At least he didn’t nag me about the food thing the way mom does. I almost ran away when she insisted I go to a doctor. 

It turned out okay though. He gave me some iron pills, which I take, cause I looked online and they’re safe. He said I should gain weight. What the fuck ever. I’m finally only five pounds from my goal. I’m not starting to put weight on now. But I found out that if you stuff bags of sand and your keys and whatever else into your pockets you can get them to think you’ve put on weight.

Man, there’s nothing the Internet can’t tell you.

And I’ve gotten really good at looking like I’ve eaten something. 

Justin offered to help “detulip” my room. Fuck. I’m such a basket case I was like touched by that. It would be cool though, to not feel like a stranger in a little princess’s room when I come home. I don’t know…he probably didn’t mean it though.

He didn’t push about Evan. That’s good. I don’t want to talk about it. I miss him but I was fucking hurting him. I know he wanted more from me and I thought I could give it. I did. But I can’t. He said he’d wait. He won’t. He’s a guy. He like can’t. So I ended it before he could.

He still calls. He still emails. I’ve been thinking about changing my email again so he can’t find me…but I’m lame and I like to know he’s still trying.

I miss him. I miss talking to him. I wish I weren’t so fucked up. I wish I could just shut everything out. That’s what Amy said she used to do with her old boyfriend. She’d just get totally wasted and then she didn’t have to think about it. She likes this new guy, so I don’t think she has to do that with him.

I don’t want that. I don’t mind getting wasted. I’m fine with that, but for my first time…I want something more than too drunk and stoned to think about it. Then again, I’m probably blowing it out of proportion. The thing is I can’t stand the thought of Evan seeing me like this. Five more pounds maybe but with everyone watching everything I eat lately it’s like impossible. I started using my mother’s treadmill but it hasn’t helped much. 

It’s all such bullshit. If my dad were here he’d help. I know he would. He thought I was pretty. He’d be so proud of me for losing the ‘baby fat’. 

Staying mad at Justin is harder than I thought. He’s really good at that whole, “Sunshine” thing. And Brian was even nice to me today. I thought he like, ate babies for breakfast or something. 

I don’t know. I know I’m confused. I know what helps that. I’ll take care of that when I get home and then maybe I’ll take a nap. I really do get tired a lot lately.

And dammit. Justin with the heater in the car. I think he was really worried. I don’t want him to worry, but I won’t pretend I’m not surprised. What if it’s not an act? What if he really is nice? 

That can’t be. 

I need to stay the fuck away from him.


	36. Chapter 36

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

* * *

Justin called Brian but he was stuck working on the new tech company campaign. He gave up on the whole dinner thing and reheated some leftover Thai. He tried to work on the sketches for the new piece but he couldn’t stop worrying about his sister.

He called his mother.

“Hi sweetie.”

“Hi mom.”

“You’re back for a while.”

“Yeah, wanna do lunch?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Is this purely social or are you going to probe into Molly’s health too?”

“Too?”

“Everyone keeps asking, Justin. She’s fine. She wasn’t eating. Depression, schoolwork, the boyfriend no one knows I know about. But she’s eating. She sees the doctor twice a month and she’s put on weight. She’s okay. Still depressed I think but that’s to be expected.”

“I offered to help redecorate her room.”

“I’ll never be able to re-sell this place if you paint he room black.”

“I already told her no black walls.”

“I’m glad you two are talking.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m not sure she’s really talking to me. She seems so…”

“Guarded?”

“Yeah. Good word.”

“She’s angry and hurt. It wasn’t that long ago…”

“I know. I worry. Apparently it’s kind of what I do.”

Jennifer laughed. “Lately it does seem to be your favorite hobby.”

“Shut up. I have other hobbies.”

“Okay.”

“Lunch at the loft?”

“Yeah. I’m assuming Brian’s given you the grand tour.”

“He has. It’s really beautiful.”

“Still a lot of work to do.”

“Tomorrow at one thirty?”

“Sounds good.”

“Bye mom.”

“Bye honey.”

Justin tried to work some more but he was worried about Molly and Aaron and he realized he hadn’t talked to Alicia in a long time and… his mind was racing and he hated that. He rolled a joint and turned on the television. 

There was a great show on the discovery science channel about the ice age. He poured himself a drink and felt his body mellow. He was on vacation. He’d be okay. Molly would be okay. He heard the loft door. Brian was home. He turned with a big smile and was greeted with a scowl.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re mellow and I’m tense. That never works.”

Justin smiled wider. “I know how to make you less tense.”

Brian smirked and Justin pushed him back against the support beam. Then he dropped to his knees. Brian’s hands were in his hair and his senses were full of the smell, taste and feel of Brian.

He sucked him expertly until he felt him come against the back of his throat. Brian let out a sound and Justin didn’t stop. When he finally pulled back Brian’s eyes were half closed and he looked a lot more relaxed. “Did that help?”

Brian nodded. Not ready to speak. 

“Let’s go get you out of your work clothes.”

Brian followed without thinking. His eyes were on Justin’s ass as he trailed him up the steps.

They were both naked in bed when Brian admitted he was hungry. “I can make something.”

“We could order.”

“Your call.”

They ordered and were sitting on the sofa watching nothing in particular on TV when there was a knock on the door. 

Justin turned his head to look at the clock. “What the fuck?”

Brian shrugged. “I’ll get it.”

He disentangled himself from Justin and opened the door it was Debbie. “I brought you some lasagna.”

“We just ate.”

“Well you can reheat it tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

Brian’s aggravation showed as he moved aside and let Deb pass. “The place looks nice.”

“You’ve seen it before.”

“What’s up Deb?” Justin asked as he gathered the take out boxes to store in the ‘fridge.”

“Nothing I just haven’t seen you since you got home.”

“It’s only been two days. I figured I’d see you Sunday. And at Christmas.”

“Okay I was just checking up on you two making sure you don’t…”

Brian ran a hand through his hair. “Carl working late?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”  


“Deb.” Brian’s tone made it clear that he didn’t really feel like waiting until she was stoned enough to tell him.

“You taking care of your sister?”

Brian was about to say something about Claire when he realized Debbie's full attention was on Justin.

“Mom’s got it under control but I had lunch with her today.”

“That girl’s a mess.”

“Fuck you Deb.”

“Watch your mouth Sunshine. Look. You know I respect your mother.”

Justin nodded, not sure if that was true or not but not willing to argue it at the moment. “So?”  


“So she’d a good woman but she’s not real good at the messy shit.”

“Bullshit Deb. What the fuck do you want? I don’t need a lecture on my mother at the moment. Or anything else really.” Justin moved forward to show her to the door. Brian stepped in. 

“Justin. Deb may have a point.”

“You both think my mother’s some kind of tight ass WASP still? What the fuck?”

“Listen Sunshine. Your sister is fucking sick. I’ve seen her a couple of times since thanksgiving but she’s not getting better. Now your mom can smile and joke and put whatever spin she wants on it… but someone needs to take care of that girl.”

“Deb. Fuck off.” Justin was holding the door open for her. Debbie looked at Brian, who shrugged. 

“If Justin says he can handle it, he can.”

Debbie shook her head and left. 

Justin was pacing the floors cursing Debbie's name. “Fucking loudmouthed freak. Stupid bitch. Molly’s fine. Debbie just needs someone to take care of. Stupid cunt.”

That’s when Brian stopped him. “Cut it out.”

“She’s a…”

“She’s Debbie. She’s loud. She’s annoying. You’re mad because you know she’s right.”

Justin stormed upstairs, not even bothering to reply to Brian. Brian followed him. “We going out?”

“You can come if you want.” Justin shrugged. “I’m going out. Tired of everyone thinking I’m supposed to fix everything.”

“Yeah. That’s my job.”

“Fuck you. You had the right idea about family. Take off and never look back.” Brian watched as Justin shoved lube and condoms in his pocket. He also watched as Justin took a couple of vials and a bullet and shoved them into a pocket as well. Brian decided to join Justin.

They were dancing. Justin was drunk. Brian hadn’t said anything about the drug use but tomorrow, when Justin was both rational and sober. They were gonna have a talk. In the meantime his warm willing body was finding new places to kiss him and Brian was willing to let him explore.

Emmett and Gordon were there, making this officially the second longest relationship of Emmett’s life. Brian glanced over at them and Gordon waved. Brian was about to wave back but Justin's hand snaked around his wrist and pulled him off the dance floor and into the back room. “Fuck me.”

Brian smiled and Justin was pulling him closer. 

“Fuck me right now.” Justin’s voice was slurred, his kisses were wet and messy and Brian was sure that he’d never seen him looking so beautiful. Justin slid down to his knees and started to suck Brian off. Brian laughed and pulled him up. “Thought you wanted me to fuck you.”

“Oh god yeah. Fuck me.”

Brian turned him around and pulled his pants down below his ass. Justin was moaning already and Brian had barely touched him. He sheathed his cock and leaned in. Kissing Justin’s neck as he pushed in slowly.

The slow part was shot to hell as Justin impaled himself and almost howled at the feeling. “Fuck me.”

Brian was fucking Justin and nothing felt better and when he leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth Justin smiled. “You’re better than anyone.”

“Good to know.”

Justin's hand grabbed Brian's and he moved them both together to stroke him off as Brian continued to pound him against the wall. “Need this. So fucking need this.”

Brian leaned his head on Justin shoulder. His hand moving in rhythm to his body and Justin was pushing into his hand and then back on his shaft. Brian's free hand slid up his torso and was pinching his already hard nipples when Justin threw his head back and came. Brian came a few strokes later, feeling Justin's body shaking with release. He turned his little blonde around and held him for a moment.

“You are sooo the fucking best.”

“You are sooo fucking gone.”

Justin leaned in and kissed him. “Buy me a drink.”

Brian followed him to the bar. They were both drinking their beer and staring at the crowd. When Justin spoke again. “I’m gonna get a lecture about this tomorrow huh?”

Brian shrugged. “Your call. Your life.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah. You want to throw it away getting wasted every time something bothers you… you’re an adult. Your choice.”

“Fuck. Can we at least wait 'til tomorrow for the lecture?”

Brian kissed him. “Sure.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Justin woke up to the smell of coffee. He pulled on his jeans, which were in a heap by the bed, and poured himself a cup. He looked around for Brian. Then he heard voices downstairs. He pulled on a shirt and looked at the clock. Fuck. His mother was on time. And he still looked like hell. He debated showering and decided she’d already be aggravated enough that he was late. He took his coffee with him as he walked downstairs.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi honey you look…”

“Like shit?”

“I was going to say tired.”

Justin sat at the counter and sipped his coffee. “I overslept. Someone, he shot a menacing glance at Brian, didn’t wake me.”

Brian put up his hands and gave his best innocent face. “Not my job. I didn’t even know your mom was coming.”

“Oh. I guess I forgot to tell you.”

Brian headed upstairs. “I’m gonna shower.”

Justin shot him another look. “Coffee mom?”

Jennifer held up her cup. “Brian already got me some.”

“Oh.”

“Justin. Molly’s fine.”

“So you’ve said.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t know what to think. She looks like hell.”

“So you two match.”

“Stop it. I just woke up.”

“She’s been tired.”

“Does she eat anything? How the fuck did she get so thin?”

“I don’t know. She seems to eat. I can’t exactly watch her all day.”

“No, I guess you can’t.”

“How about you. Are you okay?”

“I hate that question. Brian and I had a late night last night so I’m tired. I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

Look. Why don’t I go shower and we can go out to lunch?”

“Fine. I’ll wait down here. The place is really lovely.”

“Thanks.”

Justin joined Brian in the shower. Brian turned around and was about to say something and Justin held up his hand to stop him.

“Don’t start. I suck. I’m a crystal queen. A stupid drug addict. I use the shit to escape when I don’t feel like dealing. It’s dangerous. It’s bad. You don’t want me to do it. Did I miss anything?”

“Yeah. The part where you mean any of that.”

“I mean that you don’t want me to do it.”

Brian pulled Justin close. “You don’t do shit halfway. You throw your entire body and soul into whatever you’re doing.” He was whispering in Justin’s ear. “Don’t give your body and soul to this shit.”

“I’m not Brian. I can be halfway guy.”

Brian snorted his disbelief.

“I can.”

“Okay.”

“We’re taking my mom to lunch.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not worried about me.”

“Bullshit. The Jedi thing doesn’t work on me.”

“Worked for the sofa.”

“No. I just gave in on that.”

“You did?”

“Like you said, I don’t have to be downstairs unless Gus and Aaron are here.”

“Aaron’s always here.”

“Yeah. I forgot that part.”

Justin laughed. He kissed Brian. “When we get back from lunch, I’m going to give my entire body and soul to something far more addictive than crack.” He rubbed himself against Brian suggestively.

“We _have_ to go to lunch with your mother?”

“Yes.” Justin smiled and twenty minutes later they were heading out the door debating restaurant options.

Once they were seated and their drink orders filled Justin started to ask some more detailed questions about Molly.

“Justin, it’s…”

“Complicated?” Brian asked. Amused that both Justin and Jennifer could make such a simple problem so fraught with unnecessary bullshit. 

Jennifer sighed. “Yes. Complicated.”

“No. It isn’t but now I know where Justin gets it. Just force her to eat. If she won’t. Put here somewhere that will. She’s dying Jennifer.”

Jennifer and Justin both inhaled sharply. “Brian!” They said in unison.

“What? I’m sorry, were we gonna dance around this for a few more months until she’s got no bone mass left and breaks a hip from walking?”

“Brian.” Justin was glaring at him. “Stop being a prick.”

“I don’t care, except this’ll kill you Justin. And you too Jennifer. And I happen to like the both of you a little. So do whatever you think is right. You’re her mother. But don’t pretend she’s okay, and that it’s this little phase she’ll get over. Because she may not have time to get over it.”

Brian turned his attention to his meal and didn’t say another word.

Eventually they dropped Jennifer off at her car and Justin was fuming when they closed the door behind them.

“How could you fucking do that to my mother. She spent the rest of lunch trying not to cry.”

“How hard’s she gonna cry when Molly’s in the hospital?”

Justin opened his mouth to protest and closed it. He sat down and leaned his head in his hands. “So what do we do?”

“I don’t know. Give her a sandwich?”

Justin's glare was icy.

Brian sat next to him and rested his hand on the back of Justin’s neck. “She doesn’t eat. It’s fixable. You just have to make he eat.”

“So we’ll have her over for dinner.”

Brian shook his head. “Brilliant plan except…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I know. You’re right. Can’t just force her to eat. Can’t force her to hold it down if she does. Did you mean what you said to my mom? Do you really think she needs to be put in an institution?”

“How the fuck would I know. I don’t know jack shit about teenaged girls. I just know she’s freakishly thin and you’re freakishly upset about it.”

“So should I try to talk to her again?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll help her redo her room. Maybe we can talk while we paint.”

“Speaking of talking.”

Justin slouched into the sofa and leaned his head back. “Can I just make my one point about hypocrisy and remind you that it was your stash.”

“Don’t care.’

“Good then we’re done.” Justin made a move to get up but Brian wrapped his fingers around his wrist. 

“Not even close.”

“Brian.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not a drug addict.”

“No but you’re using them to escape.”

“Isn’t that what they’re for?”

“No.”

“Bullshit.”

“Not like this. Not these stupid blackouts when you can’t remember shit. It’s not safe.”

“I never should have told you about him.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about the nights you can’t remember I called.”

“I’m fucking with you.”

“No you’re not, stop lying.”

“I’m not.”

“Good. So you’re fucking with me. So what’s the password?”

“Huh?”

“I told you last time you wouldn’t remember the conversation. You swore to me you would and I gave you a codeword. You repeat it back to me and I’ll know you’re fine.”

“You’re so full of shit.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. You’d never do something that lame.”

“Are you sure of that or do you just not remember if I did something that lame or not.”

“You didn’t.”

“How do you know?”

“I’d remember.”

“What else do you remember from that conversation?”

Justin blushed and Brian frowned. “Nothing right?”

“I remember that you were mad.”

“Was I?”

“You were pissed I picked up the phone while I was that wasted.”

“No.”

“You were sweet.”

“Now that’s just a stupid guess.”

“Fine I don’t remember.”

“So you are having blackouts.”

“Only if I drink when I’m using.”

“Which is every time.”

“But I go weeks without using at all.”

“And then you feel like if you don’t go out and forget everything you’ll explode.”

“Yeah.”

“Explode.”

“What?”

“Let yourself explode. That’s why you’re doing this. You’re afraid of what happens when you explode.”

“I know what happens.”

“What?”

“I leave you.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Yeah but I’m waiting for you to make sense.”

“When it all gets too much… when I don’t know which way to turn. When I can’t think. I start to question everything. Then I start to question you. Then I come up with brilliant reasons why we won’t ever work. Then I leave your sorry ass. And that was fine before because I kind of always knew you’d take me back.”  
  
”You did huh?”

“I’d leave but it was never over. If I leave now it’s over.”

“So don’t leave.”

“So it would be over.”

“Fuck. Justin. I’m not gonna give you permission to walk out when you’re overwhelmed.”

“I just…”

“You just need to find better coping mechanisms than leaving my ass or risking yours.”

“There’s no real risk.’

“Really?”

“Well, no serious risk.”

“You’re that sure of things you can’t remember.”

“Yeah.”

“Bullshit.”

“Brian.”

“Tell you what. You get a twenty four hour pass.”

“Huh?”

“When you need to dump me. Do it. For twenty four hours. Then we can pretend the whole thing never happened.”

“That’s not leaving you.”

“Kind of the whole point.”

“I need a third option.”

“And lets stay away from whatever else you’re thinking of doing to yourself rather than just, I don’t know, making a list of what you hate.”

“Is that what you do?”

“That’d be one fucking long list.”

“So what do you do?”

“I fuck lots and lots of really hot guys.”

“And get wasted.”

“But I always know what I’m doing.”

“No you don’t.”

“I can always remember it the next morning.”

“No you can’t.”

“Yeah, actually I can.”

“The first night…”

“I was bullshitting you. I didn’t want you to think I meant any of what I’d said.”

“You weren’t that nice to me again for another like six months.”

“I’m not sure I was ever that nice to you again.”

“Oh you were. And even while you were being a complete dick and telling me to get the fuck away from you… you were still pretty nice once we were naked.”

“Yeah well, once you’re naked I can’t help it.”

Justin laughed. “We still have to deal with Molly.”

“I’m not painting her room.”

“Duh.”

“Brian… seriously, what do we do?”

“I have no idea.”

“This sucks.”

Brian sat back and pulled Justin towards him. Justin rested his head against his shoulder. “I don’t want to go out and buy Christmas presents.”

“So don’t.”

“I have to.”

“Right now?’

“No.”

“So just sit here.”

Justin closed his eyes and allowed himself some time. Just time, with no agenda and no ‘to do’ list. He let his head rest on Brian’s shoulder and his hand rest on Brian's thigh. He matched his breathing to Brian's and they both dozed off, just enjoying a few moments together.

Eventually they did get up, they did go to the mall, they did find gifts for most of the people on their list and they did both come home in viciously bad moods. Brian went upstairs and Justin stayed downstairs to seethe privately. 

Justin went upstairs when he couldn’t stand the quiet anymore. “Say something.”

Brian poured himself another scotch and downed it quickly. “About what?”

“Anything.”

Brian snorted. “Nope. We’re not gonna fight just because we both hate shopping this close to Christmas.”

“That’s not why we’re fighting.”

“We’re not fighting.”

“Whatever. Why are you so pissed off?”

“You’re yelling. I’m just sitting here thinking that I should do all my shopping online from now on.”

“I am not yelling!” Justin heard himself and blushed.

Brian laughed. “We have doors now. You want to go downstairs so you can slam one?”

“Fuck you.” Justin chuckled though. “I really do have to figure out what to do.”

“About what specifically?”

“Molly.”

Brian sighed. “Help her with her room. Go do it tomorrow. Maybe the paint fumes will get her high enough to talk to you.”

“I could just get her stoned.”

“Well she might get the munchies and eat something. But your mother might kill you.”

“I think she’s okay with shit like that.”

“You do huh?”

“Don’t you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never gotten stoned with your mother.”

“Well that’s a relief.”

“Drunk a couple of times. But never stoned.”

Justin had his arms wrapped around Brian, his head resting on his chest. He pulled back. 

“When did you get drunk with my mother?”

Brian shrugged. “She’s a lightweight.”

“No she’s not.”

“No, she’s not.”

“So when the fuck did you sit around getting drunk with my mother?”

“Relax. It was harmless. And we only made out. I never fucked her.”

Justin pulled away from Brian. “Now there’s four Taylor’s who you won’t be fucking tonight.”

“I don’t know I could probably get Aaron to give it a shot.”

Justin stormed downstairs and slammed a door. Brian followed him. 

“We need more doors.”

“You need to get a sense of humor.”

“Everything’s funny when I’m tweaked.”

Brian glared at him.

“If you can joke about getting drunk with my mother…”

“I wasn’t joking about that.”

“You have sat around drunk with my mom?”

“Yeah. She asks really personal questions.”

“And you give very general answers right?”

“You want me to describe what you taste like to her?”

Justin shuddered. “I don’t even want you to describe it to me.”

“Really?” Brian walked towards him slowly. You’re not even the least bit interested in how that salty taste of your skin affects me? You don’t want to know that when I lick right here.” Brian leaned in and ran his tongue from Justin’s collarbone to behind his ear. “I can taste your body wash, kiwi, your shampoo, pomegranate, and you, musky, and salty and a little bit like a cheap margarita. You taste like a fucking fruit salad.”

“You’re weird. And you better never tell my mother I taste like a fruit salad.”

“But you do.” Brian was nuzzling Justin’s neck now and Justin was pretty much over the whole needing to fight part. 

“You taste like incense.”

“What?”

“All those expensive things you use with the ‘manly’ scents. You taste like sandalwood, and clove, and patchouli, and then there’s something bitter, which is probably that cologne you use. There’s also this musky warm taste that’s all you.”

“Really, I taste like a dirty hippy?”

“An expensive dirty hippy, but I like it.”

“You do?”

“Mmm hmmm.” Justin had pushed Brian's t-shirt up and fixed his mouth over one of his nipples, licking and sucking. He pulled back for a moment. “I love the way you taste.”

Brian pushed Justin back against the sofa and watched as he fell willingly. His arms over his head and his knees hooked over the arm of the plush fabric. 

They both lost themselves for hours in the taste of one another. Every once in a while finding a new name or a new flavor. Brian lifted his head from Justin's thigh to say “denim and citrus.” Justin giggled and Brian loved the way his body moved under his hands when he was truly happy.

Right now, he thought Justin might be truly happy.

Right now Justin thought he might be truly happy.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

The next day Justin showed up at his mother’s with drop cloths and painting tools and color samples. 

Jennifer smiled and Justin knocked on Molly’s door. She answered and almost smiled when she saw Justin weighted down with supplies. “We need to pick paint. I want you to choose all this stuff. Then we can order the rest online or we can go to a store, but two days before Christmas, I’d really like to push for the online ordering option.”

Molly moved aside and Justin put down the tarps and paint trays and handed her a bunch of paint cards. “Your choice. I picked a few from the colors that we talked about, and the rest are just ones I thought you might like. We don’t HAVE to go dark though. If you want we can go with a light color.”

Molly grimaced and Justin nodded. “Right, closest to black you can find.”

Molly wasn’t thrilled with any of the colors. 

Here, let me help. He loaded his laptop with the basic layout of Molly’s room and showed her how to change the wall color.

“This is pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it’s a good program. And we can rearrange the furniture too later if you want.”

“Maybe, I want my bed like, I don’t know… out of the middle of the room.”

Justin nodded. “Whatever you want. I like that color.”

Molly looked again. “See I want it to look like this.” She moved over to her desk and loaded a site onto her machine. The room was black and deep almost black purple. Justin thought it looked like a large bruise but he shrugged. “Let me see it for a second?”

Molly got up and let Justin sit down in front of the machine. “Yeah, okay. We can do that. He pulled up a site and logged in. “Here, this is the color you want.”

She smiled. “It is.”

“Yeah, okay, so… he scribbled the information down. Now we need a coat of primer and two gallons of paint. You ready?”

Molly nodded and they left. Jennifer was gone but Justin wasn’t surprised. He was actually relived. Molly seemed more relaxed when she didn’t feel like Jennifer was hovering.

“You want to stop and get something to eat?” 

Molly glared at him.

“I’m just asking, not nagging.”

“I’m not anorexic Justin.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay, then what are you?”

“What?”

“If you’re not purposely keeping yourself from eating, and the doctor has ruled out a tapeworm… why do you look like one of those ‘feed the children’ commercials.”

“I don’t. I just dropped some of that baby fat I was carrying.”

“Yeah at seventeen you were just dripping baby fat.”

“Gross.”

“You looked better before.”

“Most people think I look better now.”

“Most people? Like who?”

“My friends at school and stuff.”

“So you _are_ trying to lose weight.”

“No. I wasn’t trying I just did, and now I’m not trying to put it back on.”

“Mom’s worried.”

“Mom worries when I get a hangnail.”

“Mostly she’s pretty cool and you know it.”

“She’s cool to you. She’s different around me.”

“Like how?”

“She treats me like a baby.”

Justin laughed. “Molly, I have my own place in New York. I haven’t live with her in six years. When I’m here I’m with my… I’m with Brian and you’ve seen his place and she STILL asks me if I’m eating.”

“But she trusts you when you say yes.”

“Because I actually look like I’ve been eating.”

“I do eat.”

“Well duh, you’re not dead.”

“Can we change the subject?”

Justin pulled into the home depot parking lot. “I would love to. Do you want to get new hardware for your furniture?”

“What?”

“The handles, they’re little floral knobs. I thought you might like something less…”

“Tulipy?”

“Exactly.”

“That’d be cool.”

“Okay we can do that. Lets get them to start mixing the paint and then we can pick knobs.”

Molly laughed.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I used to belong to this board online and this troll called us all a bunch of knobs. I have no idea why I thought of that.”

“You belong to online forums?”

“Yeah, kills the time. You know, I have a blog and whatever.”

“Can I see it?”

“No. It’s like, personal.”

“You publish it online for anyone to see.”

“But it’s like… isn’t there stuff in your life that’s between you and other people that’s none of anyone else’s business?”

“I wish.”

“Well I want that.”

“Okay.”

An hour later they were back at the house with all the supplies.

Molly was laying on the bed while Justin moved the stuff into the middle of the room. “Should have brought Paul.” he huffed.

“Who’s Paul?”

“The contractor I work with, he’s good for stuff like the heavy lifting.”

“Oh.”

Once it was all pushed together they threw the tarp over it. “We’re pulling up the carpeting so at least we don’t have to cover that. 

They both started painting.

They were working on opposite sides of the room. Justin was doing the detail work, trim and edges. Molly was making broad strokes covering the wall with the deep almost black purple she’d chosen.

They met in the area near her closet. 

Justin was focusing on keeping the paint off the closet trim. Molly was just enjoying covering as much space as possible. They were both wearing Brian's old shirts. Brian’s head would explode if he saw the siblings desecrating his Prada like that but Justin did only take the ones Brian was never going to wear again.

Molly was intent on her work and the sleeve of Brian’s shirt feel below her elbow. Justin looked over to see how close she was to being done and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “What the fuck is that?”

“What, did I miss a spot?”

Justin had her hand by the elbow turning her wrist towards him. She tried to pull away. “Leave it. Long story.”

“I’ve got all fucking day.”

“Not what you think.”

“Really? So your self mutilation hasn’t spread beyond your ears?”

“Justin drop it.”

“Fuck no.”

“Fine. Then leave.”

“Fuck no.”

“This is so not an issue.”

“Bullshit.”

“Justin.” Molly was trying not to cry. It wasn’t working.

“Molly you need help. This is… fuck. Molly. This is just gross.”

Molly laughed then. “It’s not gross.”

“It’s not healthy.”

“And I’m sure everything you do is so fucking earthy crunchy tree hugging healthy.”

“I don’t open my own skin just to see what’s underneath.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then what’s that?”

“Can we just go back to painting?”

Justin concentrated on the areas around the windows and the corners of the room. “How long have you been doing that?”

“I’ve always done it.”

“No you haven’t.”

“For years Justin. I really have. It’s not dangerous.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“You can’t die from it.”

“Oh well, as long as you don’t die then.”

“It’s not about dying.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I do. But it’s still sick.”

“Did you…”

“No. Not my style.”

“But you…”

“Friends. I have a friend who used to do it a lot.”

“Daphne?”

“No, someone I met in New York. She used to do shit like that, before she figured out how to channel it into her art.”

“In some cultures it’s considered sexy.”

“In this one it’s considered sick.”

“I’m not sick.”

“Yeah you are.”

“Justin…I’m…”

“What do you use?”

“Huh?”

“What do you use to do it?”

“None of your business.”

“Molly. Lets pretend for a minute it is.”

“No.”

“Fuck. You need therapy.”

“Because I have a high tolerance for pain?”

“Because you’re willing to test that tolerance with a straight razor.”

“Don’t tell mom.”

“I can’t not tell her.”

“You can’t tell her. She’ll flip.”

“If it’s not that big a deal, why would she flip?”

“She won’t understand.”

“Did Evan?”

“What?”

“He was your boyfriend for over a year. Did he understand?”

“He hated it.”

“But he didn’t make you stop?”

“He understood eventually.”

“After you dumped him.”

The picture was becoming suddenly more clear to Justin. His sister was a fucking mess and she would not accept help…not even from those that she knew loved her. He had no fucking clue what to do.

They finished painting the room. 

“You should sleep at the loft tonight. The fumes are still kind of bad and we’ve got more work to do tomorrow so you really can’t get to the bed.

“Are you gonna let this drop.”

“I won’t push it too hard.”

Molly nodded and threw a few things into a bag. Justin drove them back to the loft. They were still in their painting clothes and Brian growled. “You have to stop using my clothes as smocks.”

Justin peeled his shirt off. “Molly’s staying the night. Fumes.”

Brian nodded and Justin pointed her towards the guest room. 

Justin went upstairs to change into non-paint clothes and came back down. Molly was still changing. “Don’t bring up the food thing. Just for tonight.”

“Oh that’s good. She’s got you agreeing to let it go too?”

“No. It’s just… there’s more.”

“More?”

“She’s a fucking train wreck.”

“No shit.”

“I can’t talk about it now.”

“Keeping secrets?”

“Later.”

“Okay.”

Justin knocked on Molly’s door and it pushed open a little. “Jesus fucking Christ!”

“Justin…”

Justin went to the bathroom for a towel. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Brian came to see what had Justin so upset. He caught a glimpse before Justin wrapped the whole thing in a towel. Brian walked away. 

“Great now he thinks I’m a freak.”

“He already thought you were a freak, which, by the way, you are.”

“I wanted to show you.”

“Show me what?”

“That it’s not that big a deal. That it’s just a little blood. It heals it’s all…”

“Bullshit.” Brian was back leaning against the doorjamb. He pushed Justin away and sat next to Molly pulling the towel back to examine the damage. He looked up at Justin. “And they say we’re twisted.”

Justin smiled a little. “Who’d have thought I was the normal one in the family?”

“Christ. You Taylor kids are fucked up.”

Molly tried to pull her arm back but Brian was applying pressure and not letting go. “This is pathetic.”

“Fuck you. You don’t know anything.”

Brian closed his eyes and tried to gather his patience. How many fucking Taylor kids were going to tell him that? He took comfort in the fact that he’d been able to convince Aaron, and for the most part Justin that they were wrong about that. “Molly, this is fucking pathetic. And fuck you. I know lots of things.”

Justin laughed and Molly glared at him. “It’s not funny.”

“No, it really isn’t but seriously, he does kind of know stuff.”

“Not about this.”

‘Yeah, probably not about this, but as far as pain management goes…he’s the fucking expert.”

“Your mom know about this?” Brian asked turning his attention to Justin.

“No. At least Molly says no.”

“Well, so looks like mother Taylor’s coming to dinner.”

Molly tried to pull her arm away then. “Fuck the both of you. No fucking way.”

“Sorry kiddo. Justin’s not doing this on his own. You can tell your mommy or we can.”

“Brian.” 

Brian looked over at Justin and shook his head. “This is beyond you sonny-boy.”

Molly was pulling her arm away and Brian held it at the elbow with his other hand so she didn’t re open the cut’s she’d made. He gritted his teeth.

“Call your fucking mother, Justin.”

When the bleeding stopped Brian closed Molly’s door and she seemed drained. He hoped she fell asleep.

They were booth sitting on the barstools making sure Molly didn’t try to bolt and waiting for Jennifer. 

“I can handle this Brian.”

“No. You can’t and it’s not your job. Aaron…whatever, he just needed to know the rules. She needs way more than you can give… and you can’t do this to yourself. This is supposed to be a vacation and you’re more tense than when you got here.”

“I’m…”

“Fine? Yeah, no shit. But this is your mom’s job. Not yours.”

“See, my pain management could be worse. I could be carving up my skin.”

“Yeah, I’m very glad you chose crystal queen over cutter.”

“You know, it’s possible we’re blowing all of this out of proportion.”

“We’re not.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

And so they sat, waiting for Jennifer. Waiting to figure out what to do next. Justin wondered when it had all gotten so complicated, but as he traced things back he realized that things hadn’t been simple since before he met Brian. He put his hand over Brian’s and leaned over to run his fingers through his hair. He really preferred it complicated with Brian than simple without him.

Brian kissed Justin back and wished he could convince the kid that things were not as complicated as he made them. But then Justin’s hands were running through his hair and he didn’t care if the stupid twat made everything complicated. He’d rather have this kid make his life complicated and annoying than live the annoyingly simple life he could have without him.


	37. Chapter 37

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

* * *

Justin was cooking dinner. For Molly to leave she’d have to take the elevator, which they’d hear, or use the fire door, which everyone would hear. Brian watched Justin focus intently on what he was doing in the kitchen. He could tell Justin was trying not to think about anything. He could also tell it wasn’t working. 

He burned his hand on the skillet and cut his finger chopping parsley. He cursed and ran his bleeding digit under the cold water while Brian got a band-aid. Once Brian dried Justin’s finger, and assured himself it was just a minor thing he wrapped the bandage around the wound and kissed it. “All better?”

“How the fuck does she do this? It fucking hurts.”

“I think that’s the point.”

Justin shook his head. “I really don’t get it. Zoë tried to explain it once, but she was stoned, and so was I, and it still didn’t make any sense.”

“Zoë does this?”

“She used to. She found other ways to cope.”

Brian nodded. “Everyone has their form of pain management.”

“But causing pain, that’s not management that’s… twisted.”

Brian shrugged. “You’re surprised your sister is twisted?”

“But she’s been doing it for years. We are probably making way too big a deal out of this.”

“Probably, what’s a little blood?”

Justin let out an exasperated sigh and went to check the rice. “If it’s not gonna kill her. I mean if it’s not really hurting her.”

“You think it isn’t hurting her?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“She needs help.”

“What if she really is okay and we’re just making things worse.”

“She isn’t, and I’m not sure we could.”

“She could actually try to kill herself.”

“As opposed to what she’s _been_ doing.”

Justin turned away from Brian again and put the rolls in the oven. “My mom will be here soon.”

“I’m going to check on Molly.”

“Brian…”

“What?”

“Be nice.”

Brian didn’t say a word as he walked downstairs. Molly was still in the guest room but she wasn’t asleep. She scowled when she saw Brian. “What do you want?”

“Just checking to see if you’d left.”

“Got nowhere to go.”

“Really?”

Molly shrugged. She was curled up in a ball on the bed. A pose Brian recognized from Justin’s moments of self-loathing and doubt. “My mom’s gonna flip.”

“She’s gonna be upset.”

“She doesn’t understand.”

“You think you can explain it to her?”

“I don’t see why I have to.”

“You don’t.”

“Then can we just let this go?”

“Not even if you wanted us to.”

“I do.”

“No. You don’t. Doesn’t matter. You may have your mom snowed. You may even be able to keep her from worrying too much. You’re never gonna shake your brother on this.”

“He doesn’t care.”

“Really? He seems to.”

“He’s just doing what’s _right_. He’d hate for anyone to think he did something wrong.”

Brian laughed. “You really don’t know your brother that well.”

“This is stupid. This is such a fucking non issue.”

“In what world?”

“I’m not hurting myself.”

“Show me your arm and say that again.”

Molly looked directly into Brian's eyes and pulled back her sleeve. “I’m. Not. Hurting. Myself.”

“So who are you hurting?”

She looked confused. “No one.”

“I got a blonde upstairs who disagrees.”

“You always listen to him?”

“Hardly ever. But I agree with him.”

“You think I’m doing this to hurt Justin?”

“No.”

“Then what the hell are we talking about?”

“We’re talking about something Justin calls ‘death wish moments’.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve convinced yourself you don’t care what happens to you. So you play these little games and figure that if someone rescues you, cool. If not, no great loss.”

“That is not…”

“Yeah it is. And your mother’s here. Why don’t you figure out what you’re gonna say to her.”

Brian got up and walked away leaving Molly speechless.

Dinner was tense and Jennifer obviously knew something was up but she seemed afraid to ask. Brian left the three of them to talk while he went downstairs to find something on the computer.

He made a few phone calls and printed out what he needed. He poured himself a drink and sat, waiting for the explosion.

It came. He heard all three of them yelling and crying and screaming. When Jennifer's voice seemed to disappear he headed back upstairs with a gin and tonic in his hand. Justin and Molly were standing inches apart, both red faced and yelling something that sounded frightening like,“am not” “Are too” back and forth.

He handed Jennifer the drink and slid some papers across the table to her. She lifted her head from her hands and picked up the drink first. She took a few stabling sips before she picked up the papers with shaking hands. “She’s got a room booked. You have to be there by eleven.”

“Brian I…”

“Don’t argue.”

“I wasn’t going to. I just…”

“Mother Taylor. Go home. Pack her a bag. We’ll keep an eye on her 'til you get back.”

“She won’t want to stay.”

“She won’t have a choice.”

“This is…”

“The only thing to do.”

Jennifer nodded and took the list Brian had printed with him. He stepped in between the siblings. “Cut it out.”

“Fuck you Brian.”

Brian held his arms apart pushing both Molly and Justin away from each other. “Your mom went home Molly, she’ll be back in about an hour. So just calm the fuck down.”

“Why’d she leave?”

Brian shrugged. “I’d have left too if I didn’t live here.”

Brian looked at Justin and could tell from the way he was studying his face that he knew something was up. Justin got a beer out of the ‘fridge and walked away. “Whatever.”

“So you admit it’s nothing.” She shot at Justin.

“No. I admit you’re a psycho.”

Brian saw Molly bristle and he really wasn’t in the mood to witness another screaming match between these two. Molly stormed off and Brian was relieved. “I’m using your computer.” She said as she left them both to go downstairs.

“Where’s she going?”

“To use the computer.”

“Not what I meant.”

“It’s a good place. They’ll help her.”

“You’re paying for it?”

“Your mother and I haven’t discussed it. I think her insurance covers some of it.”

“But you arranged it.”

“Well, I didn’t think she’d be cured by a screaming match.”

“I had this.”

“No you didn’t.”

“It was under control.”

“I’ve seen control. That wasn’t it.”

“You really think I’m just some…”

“Tell me this is about me treating you like a stupid kid and I’ll find someplace to stash you too.”

“Hey!”

“This is you and your mother with a huge blind spot.”

“She’s my sister.”

“She’s sick. Would you argue like this over what to do if she had cancer?”

“She doesn’t have cancer.”

“But she has something that needs professional treatment.”

“She’s not crazy.”

“Reality check…”

“She’s no more crazy than I am.”

“Maybe not, but if you were doing that I’d do the same thing.”

“You would?”

“Yeah, well, no. I’d tie you to the bed and force feed you.”

“That sounds more like you.”

“Can’t do that with your sister. Someone might think it was twisted.”

“This sucks.”

They sat in silence for a while and when Jennifer came back she and Molly talked. Brian and Justin stayed upstairs. They ventured down when Jennifer called them. Molly was crying, so was Justin. Brian stood back and watched them.

“Justin my room…”

“I’ll finish it while you’re gone Mol. I swear.”

“Just don’t, you know… make it all…”

“Tulipy?”

“Yeah.” She gave a half smile. 

“I won’t. I promise.”

“I’ll be back soon. I’m fine and they’re gonna kick me out you know.”

“I know. You’re no more twisted than the next Taylor.”

She grimaced. “That’s not saying much.”

Justin laughed and hugged her. Brian saw the look of panic cross her face as Justin enfolded her in his arms. These people had no fucking clue what they were in for. He bit his lip and waited for them to leave, not sure what Justin’s reaction would be. 

Twenty minutes after they left Justin was still pacing.

A half an hour after the left he was putting on his shoes.

“I’ve got to go.”

“Go?”

“I’ve got to go finish Molly’s room.”

“Now?”

“I want to finish it. Come help me.”

“Justin, maybe you need to…”

“I need to Brian. I need to finish it. There’s not much left to do. Touch up paint. Furniture knobs…”

Brian sighed. “Let’s go. But I’m we’re not painting in my good shirts.”

“They’re smocks.”

“Before that they were my good shirts.”

“Fine, paint shirtless.”

Brian shook his head and followed Justin out to the car. “This is insane.”

“But less insane than Molly.”

“That’s not saying much.”

They worked in silence. Brian decided that it beat Justin getting tweaked, or picking a fight and leaving him, so he took the ugly knobs Justin and Molly had chosen and set to work taking off the old ones and installing them. 

When Justin finished painting he and Brian rolled up the large area rug that took up most of the floor. With some small effort they threw it out the window. “Well take it to the dumpster tomorrow.”

Brian nodded and helped Justin push the furniture back into place. Moving the pieces as Justin directed until he’d created a different look for the space. “She said she wanted her bed out of the middle.”

“And it is.”

“So help me hook her computer back up and we can go to bed.”

“It’s almost six am.”

“So?”

“So she can hook her own computer up when she gets back.”

“I want her to come home to everything being…”

“Perfect?”

“Normal.”

“I’m not sure she’ll be either.”

“She’s just sick. Isn’t that what you said?”

Jennifer walked in as they stood staring at each other. “Wow.”

“Sorry mom. We um, I wanted to do this.”

“It looks great.”

“We still need to get her a duvet set, but yeah, it’s the color she wanted.”

“How’d it go?”

Jennifer turned to Brian. “It went. Thank you. It was… exhausting. I’m going to get some sleep. You must both be exhausted.”

Brian stretched and Justin shrugged. “I think I got my second wind.”

Brian groaned. “I haven’t.” He collapsed on Molly’s bed. “Go ahead Sunshine. You do the geek squad thing. I’ll just watch.”

Jennifer went to her own room and Justin crawled around behind the desk and reconnected all the wires. He booted up the machine. He really wasn’t tired anymore. He decided to try to find the right duvet set for Molly’s bed. 

He was searching some of his favorite sites, finding nothing he thought Molly might like. He clicked on her bookmarks to see where she shopped. 

“Holy shit!”

“What?” Brian was half asleep. 

“Come look at this.”

“Searching for porn on your sisters computer? That’s just…”

“I’m serious Brian.”

Brian moved towards the computer. “That’s sick.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Fuck, she’s…”

“Yeah. She’s been hiding it for a while I guess.”

“But…”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. She’s safe now right?”

Brian nodded. No longer sure. “You okay to drive us home?”

“Yeah I’m not even tired.”

Brian shrugged as Justin shut down the computer. “You have to tell your mom.”

“Tomorrow. Or um. Hey, merry Christmas Eve.”

“Oh yeah. Christmas eve at Deb’s tonight. Fuck we’d better go home and sleep.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

When Justin woke up he found Brian downstairs at the computer. He put his own coffee mug down and sat next to him. “What the fuck are you working on?”

“Nothing. I just got up a couple minutes ago.”

“What’s that?”

“Your sister’s blog.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s an idiot. You at least delete the cache and history when you don’t want me to know shit.”

“Only when I’m buying you something.”

Brian leaned over and kissed him. “Your sister is one messed up little girl.”

“She has a following.”

“Apparently.”

“She put in an entry last night before she left.”

“I know.”

“Move I want to read it.”

“You really don’t.”

“Fuck you.”

>  
> 
> Hey all. Wish me luck. They finally wised up and now I’m completely fucked. My mom just let me know that I’m going to one of those veal-fattening places. So I guess it’s my turn in the lovely world of hospital gowns and IV’s and 1:1 SIPs.
> 
> I’m not sure when I’ll be back or if I’ll have computer access. I do know that there’s no getting out of this but I’ll be back as soon as I can and next time I’ll figure out how to hide it better. 
> 
> Oh and a quick thank you to **Verge_girl** and **Nevertoo** for the tips. I’m sure they’ll help.
> 
> I’d explain more but I don’t have a lot of time. Suffice to say my brother totally sold me out and I’m gonna have to lay low for a while.
> 
> Wish me luck. 

they both sat looking at the entry, and the replies, most of them supporting her decision to fake the whole health routine and cursing her brother’s name at the same time. Justin lit a cigarette. 

“Fuck.”

Brian clicked on the user name she’d thanked.

“Gaaah”

“The freak has an entire site on how to beat the hospital system.”

“Do I even want to know what nevertoo helped her with?”

“Probably not.”

“Brian.”

Brian wrapped an arm around Justin and kissed the top of his head. “She’s just talking big.”

“You don’t know that.”

“She’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know that either.”

“This is completely…”

“Fucked?”

“Yeah.”

“We can’t do anything. You have to let the professionals help her.”

“Since when do you count on professionals?”

“Someone has to know what to do. Not you. Not me.”

“But…”

“Not you. Not me.”

Justin sighed and leaned his head against Brian’s shoulder. “Not you? Not me?”

“No.”

“Think we can get out of Deb’s thing tonight?”

“Who’s gonna call and tell her we’re not coming?”

“Not you. Not me.”

“Exactly.”

“I hate life.”

“Really?”

“Right now? Really.”

“Then now is probably a bad time to tell you this.”

“Tell me what?”

Brian tilted Justin's head and kissed him deeply. “I kind of like our life.”

Justin kissed Brian back. “This part I like.”

“Only this part?”

“Well, and the part that comes after this.”

“Which part is that?”

“The one where I can’t think about how much I hate life, I can only think about how much I love you.”

“That’s a good part.”

“We should move on to that part now.”

“Patience. This is good too.”

“This is just… mmmmmm that feels good.”

Brian’s hands were gliding along Justin’s bare chest. His mouth was on Justin’s shoulder. 

“This?” Brian moved his hands lower, softly cupping Justin’s balls through his soft fleece sweatpants.

“That.”

Brian was stroking slowly, using his other hand to snake around Justin’s waist and pull him closer until he was sitting on Brian's lap, his legs splayed wide apart on either side of Brian’s thighs. He moved, thrusting into Brian’s hand, pushing back, feeling the heat of Brian's desire through the layers of cotton that separated them. 

Strong long fingers were moving up Justin’s chest, massaging and teasing. Justin’s body arched into Brian's hands, his head thrown back, his messy blonde hair tickling Brian's shoulder. He rutted against him, and felt Brian thrusting at him through their clothing. 

“Still hating life?”

Justin moaned. “Only because we’re not naked.”

Brian made no move to change that anytime soon. “Bet I could make you love life even in your ‘jammies.”

Justin was whimpering now as Brian’s cock moved along the crack of his ass, barred by the barrier of their pants. Brian’s hand never moved under the waistband of Justin’s sweats as he gave Justin’s hard shaft a solid squeeze and then moved his hand lower, fondling him through the now damp material.

“Brian.” Justin's’ voice was small and desperate.

Brian said nothing, sucking hard on Justin's earlobe and letting the feel of him writhing on his lap take over.

“You’re ready to come already.” Brian whispered. “Just like this. Sitting on my lap in your jammies, looking about ten years old. So horny. You can’t stop can you?”

Justin was moving against Brian now with more urgency. He needed release. He moved his hands back to run through Brian's hair, pulling his head forward. He leaned back to kiss him and felt Brian nibble a little on the corner of his bottom lip. “Just like this Justin. That’s all it takes for you to remember how much you want me.”

“God Brian.” He was ready to beg. He was ready to throw those fucking “jammies” across the room and bend over the desk but Brian's arm was around his waist holding them flush against each other. “C’mon Justin. You know you want to come.”

“Please Brian.”

Brian's hands were insistent now, stroking harder and his motions against Justin’s ass ran the hard head of his cock along the crack and practically poked through the thin cotton of his sweatpants.

“My, such a sweet little boy.”

Justin was panting now, pulling Brian's head to his throat where he felt the hot wet feel of Brian’s tongue below his adams apple. He moved his head to the side to give him better access and as Brian continued to manipulate his body with his hands and his mouth and his hips Justin could feel it build. That familiar warmth at the base of his spine, spreading outwards, ever outwards and collecting as a ball of pure passion, pure desire, pure pleasure. Brian thrust against his ass again as he ran his hand along the length of Justin's cotton clad cock.

Justin couldn’t hold back any longer. Didn’t want to. “God I love you.” He gasped as he came. His body quaking against Brian's. He felt Brian’s movements speed up and moaned again as Brian's grip tightened. The soft kiss on his neck became a bite and Brian's hand was finally under the waistband of his pants, milking the last of his orgasm as Brian let his own overtake him.

Justin leaned back against Brian then. Sweaty, his eyes glazed. Brian brought his wet hand up to Justin's mouth and he licked at it. His pink tongue sneaking out to lick up the taste of himself. He took a whole finger in his mouth and sucked on it. Brian's head leaned forward and he took a long lick of his own thumb, tasting Justin.

“Still hating life?”

Justin took a long swipe at Brian's palm from the base of his thumb to the tip of his middle finger. “Not so much.”

“I love you too Justin.”

Justin turned around then straddling Brian's lap. Chest to chest, his ass grinding down on Brian’s rapidly refilling cock. “Then fuck me”, he growled.


	38. Chapter 38

 

 

 

* * *

 

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

 

 

* * *

 

Neither of them particularly wanted to go to Deb's for Christmas Eve. They had planned to spend Christmas day alone together but now they were going to Jennifer's for dinner. She’d be all alone without Molly there and Justin knew Brian really missed Gus at times like these. It didn’t make either of them less tense on the drive to Debbie's though.

“We could duck out early.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Deb wouldn’t notice or say anything.”

“Oh, she’ll notice and say plenty, but to me. She always blames me.”

“Which is why we’ll stay. You don’t need her bullshit.”

Brian shrugged. “I can handle it.”

“I know. You handle everything.”

“You’re angry.”

“No. Yes. A little.”

“Well as long as we’re clear.”

“You just took the whole thing into your own hands and by the time my mother and I got our bearings Molly is spending Christmas in some institution, alone.”

“You wanted to wait?”

“Maybe.”

“‘Til what?”

“After the holidays.”

“Which are the biggest time of year for death wish moments to become actual death moments.”

“She was _not_ gonna die.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“What the fuck do you know about it?”

“You told me I had my ‘death wish moments.’”

“Well, yeah but Molly’s were…”

“Different?”

“I thought you hated when couples finished each others sentences.”

“Saves time. Hers were a different method. She still wanted to disappear.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I do.”

“And you’re always right.”

“You say that as if you don’t know it’s true.”

“Brian, you can be painfully wrong sometimes.”

“Not about this.”

“You think she wanted to disappear?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you so sure?”

Brian bit his lip and Justin knew he was holding something back. 

“No keeping secrets. That’s the deal right?”

“You know her boyfriend, Evan?”

“Ex boyfriend and no. I know _of_ him.”

“He was kind of stalking her.”

“WHAT?”

“Yeah I was pissed at first too. He couldn’t get in touch with Molly so he started looking for you.”

“WHAT?” 

“Stop fucking yelling.”

“WHY?”  
  


“Because I’ve got a headache and we’re not even at Deb’s yet.”

Justin whispered his next question and Brian shot him a look. 

“Just talk, like a normal person. No yelling. No stage whispers.”

“What the fuck did Evan want with me?”

“Well I assumed he wanted to fuck you, or kill you, that seems to be what most stalkers want.”

“But he didn’t want either?”

“Not sure about the fucking you part but I’m pretty sure he’s straight.”

“So what the fuck _did_ he want?”

“He wanted you to take care of your sister.”

“Huh?”

“He gave me one of those moony eyed teenager in love bullshit stories but Molly’s been fucked up for a while. She dumped him for… let’s just say, very familiar reasons.”

“She’d lost her mind and fell for a violinist?”

Brian's glance made Justin shut up. “She was convinced he wanted more than she could give, blah blah blah. Knew he’d get hurt by her, blah blah blah. ‘It’s for your own good.’ blah blah blah.”

Justin laughed. “She was the Brian Kinney of the relationship?”  
  


“Except she didn’t put out.”

“Oh, then not the Brian Kinney at all.”

“No, she was the fucked up little girl who wanted to disappear.”

“Makes no sense.”

“You hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna eat something.”

“Duh, yeah.”

“So she’s nuts. She’s hungry but she’s not gonna eat. She’s hurting but would rather control her pain her way. She’s…”

“She really wanted to disappear.”

“That’s what Evan said. He seemed to know her.”

“When did you find all this out?”

“At the mall, after I ran into the two of you mutilating her ears.”

“Ear piercing is not mutilation.”

“Neither is nipple piercing.”

“No that’s just hot. I should have mine done again.”

“S’okay.”

“But it’d be…”

“Thought you were beyond your stupid twink phase.”

“I am.”

“So leave your fucking body intact. One self mutilating freak per family.”

“They say we can see her on the twenty sixth.”

“We?”

“My mom and I. I don’t expect you to go.”

“I don’t think I should. You gonna see her with a therapist?”

“My mom is. I don’t know if I’m supposed to stay for the session.”

“Well, either way let me know. Besides I’ll be up to my ears in Babylon getting the opening ready.”

“I thought it was all done.”

“It is. But the shit for the party has to be brought in and set up.”

“And we still have a few places in it left to christen.”

“I know.”

“The new back room is…”

“Hot?”

“Spectacular.”

“When do your idiot New Yorkers get in?”

“On the thirtieth. I’m picking them up from the train station.”

“Train?”

“Way cheaper than a plane.”

“I would have bought them tickets.”

“And I would have explained that how?”

“You’re pervy sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester doesn’t let you hang out at the train station.”

“Pfft.”

“Like they’re gonna get any different idea when they see the loft, or their suites at the…”

“I had Cyn change those.”

“What?”  
  


“She got them rooms at the downtown Marriott.”

“Why?”

“It’s um… complicated?”

Brian sighed. “What isn’t?”

“Nothing. Just do me one favor.”

“I’m gonna hate this aren’t I?”

“No, you’ll love it. Just don’t mention that I bought the furniture for the downstairs.”

“Are you hiding your success from them?”

Brian glanced over and Justin was intent on opening his new pack of cigarettes. “What the fuck?”

“Brian I just… I’m making like way more than any of them, and really quickly compared to how long it SHOULD take me to be doing this well. Between rage and Taylormade I’m almost making it.”

“Almost?”

“I am. I’m doing like, really well, and then the new commissioned piece and the show. I don’t want to seem like I’m rubbing their face in it all.”

“So first you care that it looks like I’m keeping you. Now you don’t want them to know I’m not.”

“Something likes that.”

“That complicated thing…you’re doing it again.”

“But it’s one of the reasons you keep me around.”

“Oh yeah.”

Brian pulled up and parked behind Michael and Ben’s hybrid car and he took Justin’s hand. “Whatever you want. Just remember. New Years Eve, come midnight…”

“Come midnight What? “

“That’s all. Come. Midnight.”

Justin smiled. “I won’t forget.”

They kissed once and steeled themselves for the family fun they were about to endure.

Debbie's house was garish enough on a regular day. Christmas was painful. The tree with tinsel and tacky ornaments and garland wrapped around EVERYTHING. Purple and gold and red and green, all together.

Alicia and Aaron were already there. Jennifer was sitting sadly in a corner. Michael and Ben were helping Debbie in the kitchen.

Carl was under the tree adjusting the stand or something and Ted was talking to someone neither of them knew. Emmett was working some private party on the other side of town. He was the only one officially excused from the festivities.

Aaron came to greet them and Brian approached Jennifer tentatively. 

“Hi Brian.”

He sat down on the arm of the chair. “Hey.”

She put her hand on his leg. “I’m fine. And I know you weren’t going to ask, but I also know you were gonna just say something annoying 'til I told you. So can we consider this conversation over?”

Brian shrugged. “Justin’s angry with me too.”

“I’m not angry.” Jennifer sighed. “I’m worried about Molly.”

“She’s better off where she is.”

“I know.”

“I’m…”

“Don’ t apologize Brian. You’re not at all sorry. You did what you thought was best.”

“I don’t do apologies.”

Jennifer glared at him. They both knew better. “I was going to say that I’m sure she’s safe.”

“Great.”

Brian stood up to walk away. Justin shot him a look and he shrugged. Why the fuck was everyone mad at him? All he did was fix the damn thing.

Justin left Brian and Aaron joking about one of the people that had come in looking for work at Babylon last week and put a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “He doesn’t mean to just take over.”

“Yes he does.”

“Yes. He does. He doesn’t understand how annoying it is. He’s used to people who expect it of him.”

“Like you?”

“That’s not fair. I don’t expect him to fix things. He tries anyway, but Michael. Debbie. Lindsay, they’ve expected him to fix everything for years. And he has.”

“He’s gotten good at it.”

“He has.”

“He just… he made all the decisions and suddenly I’m sitting there. Molly’s being searched and weighed and having blood taken and tests done and I’m giving her history, and trying to explain how we got to this point and how we found this place, and why I decided to bring her here and…”

“Brian.”

“Yeah, _we_ didn’t find the place. _I_ didn’t decide to bring her there. Brian handed me a list of things to pack and a page of directions and suddenly there I was.

“He does that.”

“He shouldn’t. It wasn’t his place.”

“We were frozen mom. We were both in deep denial, probably still are, about what kind of trouble she’s in. He was willing to face it head on.”

“And now my baby’s in an institution for Christmas.”

Justin leaned in to hug his mother but she pulled away. “I’m not ready to be consoled yet.”

He nodded and sat by her watching the festivities. He didn’t feel much like celebrating either.

The evening wore on. It was loud and most people were having fun. Everyone loved the gifts Justin had chosen. He caught a look from Brian that told him he’d be paying for putting both their names on the cards. Justin knew for a fact that Brian hadn’t bought anything for Ted, or Carl or Ben, hell, he and Michael had decided years ago when they were both young and broke that they’d forgo the gift-giving thing.

Later it wasn’t that Michael was broke; it was simply that Brian was impossible to buy for. If he wanted something he got it for himself before there was time for anyone else to even consider purchasing it as a gift. And by now Brian’s tastes were too high end for most people to afford. 

This year Michael surprised him however. He handed him a box and Brian was surprised to find very fine, practically unattainable, Cuban cigars inside. There was also a small velvet bag. Brian held it up questioningly to Michael. “They have totally different rules about prescription drugs and trade embargos in Toronto.”

Brian laughed and shoved the bag in his pocket. “It’s perfect Mikey.”

Justin had chosen a few of the first pieces of Rage art they’d created together and had them archivaly framed. Michael loved them, even if he knew that Justin had probably done most of the legwork on it. He didn’t need a gift from Brian.

Those that Brian had purchased gifts for were overwhelmed. Debbie had a new, flashy, red enamel cookware set that Justin knew had set Brian back a couple of grand. She loved them for the color… and Justin also knew it was Brian's small way of saying thank you to Deb for her care and concern, even when it was unwanted and overbearing.

Justin decided to wait 'til they had dinner together the next evening to give his mother the earrings he and Molly had chosen for her. But Brian gave her his gift. It was an extravagant three-day spa treatment. She smiled wanly. 

When they finally left Justin was tired and irritable and Brian was just quiet. “Your mother’s back to hating me.” He said after his second cigarette.

“I don’t think so. I think she just misses Molly. She’s worried about her.”

Brian nodded.

The next morning Brian and Justin exchanged gifts. They were small and stupid and they both knew that anything ridiculously expensive would have meant much less.

Brian bought Justin an entire case of those disgusting pens with the wide squishy plastic grip. On top lay a jewelry box and Justin looked confused. It was long, not a ring, thank god.

He opened it and smiled. “For your professional image.” Brian said. And it was in fact quite professional looking. And fucking ridiculously expensive for a pen, but it was also a pencil and a stylus and it was wide enough that Justin’s hand wouldn’t cramp as badly using it.

Justin had bought Brian something more symbolic than anything.

Brian looked at the ticket confused. “It’s open. You call me, I come here. You book it and hop on a plane and you’re there. Any time, no excuses, all work forgotten, just you and me.”

Brian smiled and pushed Justin back into the bed. “Now. I choose now.”

Justin wrapped his legs around Brian's naked waist and lost all words except the single syllable. “Now.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Jennifer had not dropped her icy attitude when they came to dinner. Justin, seeing his grandmother there, tried not to look surprised. He was.

He was pouring himself and his mother gin and tonics in the kitchen when he finally got a moment to ask her. “What’s she doing here?”

“She just showed up. It’s Christmas and she’s alone.” Jennifer's voice caught on the last word and Justin put his hand on her back rubbing soothing circles. “I’m sorry mom.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“I’m just sorry you’re sad.”

“Well I’m sorry your sister isn’t here.” There was a touch of anger under the sorrow in Jennifer's words. Justin finished his drink quickly and poured himself another.

By the time the left the house Brian was quiet and Justin was drunk.

“I can’t fucking believe she blames me for this too.”

“She doesn’t.”

“Whatever.”

“Brian.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

They didn’t. Justin didn’t broach the subject because he wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t completely Brian’s fault but he _had_ just swooped in and fixed things, without a thought to what anyone else might want or need.

He was so sure he was right there was no room for anyone else’s opinion and now his mother was crying and god only knew how Molly was doing and Brian was upset because he saw nothing wrong with what he’d done.

Justin kept quiet about it. It didn’t stop his anger from building. The angrier he got, the more he just bit his lip and said nothing.

On his way to pick up his friends from the train he had a headache that wouldn’t stop and he was pretty sure it was all Brian’s fault.

The visit with Molly was painful. It was awkward and she was angry. She wasn’t making the kind of progress they’d hoped for and she refused to speak to her therapist. Justin had waited outside while his mother attended a session and from what she described, Molly was doing worse, not better. 

He pushed the thought away and tried to find the smile he knew he should have to greet his friends.

He spotted them as the stumbled off the train, laughing and joking with one another. He was kind of happy to see them.

They all piled into the car. Zoë and Jared, Matt, Becca and Lee. Justin took them to the Marriott. Becca smiled. “Clean sheets on a bed I don’t have to make. I’m in love.”

Justin smiled a little. “The rooms join, so you can figure out the sleeping arrangements any way you want.”

They all negotiated bed space and Matt, who’d snagged a queen bed in a room with Becca, leaving Lee to decided between the queen next to Zoë and Matt or the floor of the other room, pulled Justin aside. 

“You okay?”  
  


“People need to stop asking me that.”

“Your last email…”

“Yeah, I was in a bad place.”

“You in a better one now?”

Justin shrugged and Matt lit up a joint. “Not flying has its perks.”

Justin laughed and took the next hit.

All six of them were very stoned an hour and four joints later. “We want to see your place Justin.” Becca whined.

“Nothing special.” Justin was laying on his back on one of the bed’s his eyes closed, his feet on the floor, arms out beside him.”

“Pfft, I’ll bet.” Lee dismissed Justin’s comment. “C’mon. We want to see Rage’s Lair.”

“No you don’t, it’s um… I probably didn’t make the bed this morning.”

Justin could feel them all rolling their eyes at him even if he didn’t have the energy to open his eyes and see it for himself.

Suddenly he felt many hands on him. “Grab his keys! We’ll go without him.”

Justin started to giggle then as they tickled him and looked in vain for his keys. They were in his jacket pocket in the other room.

He was laughing too hard to think and abruptly he started to cry. 

Becca noticed it first because she was facing him when it happened. She finally convinced the rest of them to leave them alone and they all sat and waited, confused and concerned by their friend’s reaction.

When Justin finally pulled himself back together he felt the warm comforting hand rubbing his back and shrugged it off. “What the fuck was in that shit?”

“Nothing special. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Nothing. Nothing that a good club beat can’t fix.”

The others headed towards their rooms to change to more appropriate club clothes on the night before New Years Eve. Becca disappeared into the bathroom to change leaving Matt and Justin alone. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”

“Brian’s an asshole.”

“But he’s your asshole.”

“Yeah, but he really pissed me off this time.”

“I thought he always really pissed you off.”

“This was… this was beyond his usual scope. He shipped my sister off.”

“I thought you said your mom took her to some hospital place so she’d eat and stop the psycho bullshit.”

“Yeah but it’s more complicated than that… and don’t fucking roll your eyes at me. My life _is_ complicated.”

“I know.”

“So cut it out.”

“Sorry.”

“He just, made the arrangements, made the reservations, whatever. Handed my mom a couple of pieces of paper and was even willing to pay for the whole thing… just to get her out of his hair.”

“The bastard. Sending your sister to an upscale place to get help when she might be dying. Lets go kill him.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m sorry. I just don’t get it.”

“He just has to control every little thing. I love him, yeah. But liking him right now is kind of hard. He doesn’t even see why this might bother my mother. Why it might bother ME.”

“You said he did it to get Molly out of his hair.”

“Yeah.” Justin ran a hand through his own hair. He let out a long dramatic sigh. He hates drama.

“I doubt that.”

“He does.”

“Six years Justin. The two of you have know each other six years, isn’t that what you told me?”

“Yeah.”

“So if he hates drama what’s he doing with you?”

“He’s stuck with me. It’s more dramatic when I leave.”

“He could leave.”

Justin looked at Matt. “No, he couldn’t. That’s why…”

“Why what?”

“Why I feel so crappy about all of this. Because I could just storm off. He’d live, but he’d be a fucking mess. I’d survive and get over it…maybe. He wouldn’t.”

“You’re pretty fucking sure of that.”

“I know about two things for sure. I love Brian Kinney, and he loves me more.”

“So what’s all this drama about?”

Justin sighed. “Nothing I guess. I’m just angry. You um, got anything.”

Matt smiled and handed him the vial. “Let’s go out.”

Justin was smiling broadly moments later. “Let’s.”


	39. Chapter 39

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

* * *

Justin and his friends were at Pistol. They were dancing and laughing and Justin was feeling no pain… unless he thought about anything too hard…but since the music was loud and the drinks were cold and the guys were hot, he was able to avoid the whole thinking thing.

Brian was at Babylon doing a last minute check of well, everything. He’d been advertising heavily, and had a feeling tomorrow night might be a success. He had expected Justin and his friends to invade the loft at some point but at ten when they still hadn’t showed he figured Justin was gonna wait 'til after New Years. They left on the third to go to Toronto and the New York contingent was heading back on the second so he wasn’t worried.

He _was_ worried that Justin seemed upset when he left to go get them. He wasn’t sure if Justin was still upset with him for making the arrangements for Molly, or if it was something else. He knew they’d have time to talk and work it out… he just wanted to know exactly what it was they were supposed to be working on. He was taking a last walk around the club when his phone rang.

“Brian, I um…”

“Emmett, what do you want?

“You know I wouldn’t call you but…”

“Did something get fucked up? How much is it gonna cost to get it un-fucked in time for the opening?”

“No… nothing like that. I just think that um, maybe you need to come retrieve your twink.”

Brian sighed. “What’s Aaron doing now?”

“Oh, no, not Taylor twink 2.0 we’re talking about the original beta version.”

“Justin?”

“That’s what I just said.”

Brian pinched his nose and tried not to yell at Emmett… Gordon was in some tech program and suddenly Emmett was enthralled with computer speak. At least he’d stopped saying sweetie all the damned time. 

Brian spoke slowly. “What the fuck do you want Emmett?”

“Nothing, it’s just… um, Justin…”

“Where are you?”

“Outside Pistol.”

“And he’s inside.”

“He’s with some friends I think.”

“So why are you calling me?”

“He’s a little…”

“Tweaked?”

“It’s just.”

“I’ll be there, don’t let him leave.”

“Brian the party will be fine. It’s all under control.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Brian hung up, grabbed his jacket and walked the couple of blocks to the club. He scanned the crowd quickly and found Justin almost immediately. Fuck, the kid was wasted, which meant he _was_ pissed at him. He moved slowly. His first instinct was to throw him over his shoulder and carry him home but he wouldn’t do that to Justin in front of his friends. He handed his jacket to the bouncer who nodded at him. This was the bouncer’s last night there anyway. Tomorrow he’d be a fulltime employee of Babylon.

Brian threaded his way through the dance floor. He nodded to Matt and Lee and wrapped his arms around Justin’s waist. He leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Hey stud, wanna dance?”

Justin turned around and gave him a sunshine smile that Brian wished were not drug induced. “Brian!”

Brian moved with him, feeling Justin almost stumble. Fuck, he was drunk and out of his mind on god knows what. He fought back the urge to punch Matt who was looking on with some amusement. It wasn’t Matt’s fault. This was Justin’s call. His stupid wrong, idiot fledgling crystal queen call. 

“You’re wasted.”

“And you’re forgiven.”

Brian leaned back a little. “Didn’t know I needed to be.”

Justin scrunched his nose and Brian wished he didn’t still find it sexy and cute. “You did. But I get it. It’s okay.”

“Good.”

“You’re angry.”

“You think?”

“I’m trying not to.”

“I noticed.”

“Another lecture huh?”

“Nope.”

“Really?”

“No lectures. You’re a grown up.”

“I am.”

“Even if you’re acting like a twat.”

“I am?”

“Let’s go home.”

“I’m dancing.”

“With me. We can dance tomorrow night.”

“My friends.”

“They’ll make it back themselves.”

“I drove them here.”

Brian didn’t even want to think about how wasted Justin might have been while driving them here. “I’ll drive them back.”

“Okay meet you at home.” Justin started to move off to dance with someone else.

Brian held him by the neck of his shirt. “Uh uh. You’re staying with me.”

“See, I knew you loved me.”

“You questioned it?”

“Nope.” Justin enunciated the word, popping the P loudly. Brian swore to himself it wasn’t adorable. He checked his watch. Just past midnight. Too early to send the kiddies home. “Any of your friends sober?”

“Zoë’s just stoned.”

“The rest are as tweaked as you?”

“Oh Matt’s not doing anything tonight. He’s babysitting. He’s afraid of you.”

“No reason to be.”

“That’s what I told him.”

Brian searched through Justin’s pockets and found his keys. He pulled Justin with him and leaned into Matt to whisper in his ear. “Can you drive?”

Matt nodded.

Brian handed him the keys. “Meet us at the loft tomorrow, say, two-ish. Take them home. Fuck up my car and I’ll kill you. Justin’s coming with me.”

Matt nodded and took the keys putting them in his pocket. He grabbed Brian's arm as Brian steered Justin towards the door. “He’s really upset. I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

Matt shrugged and Brian maneuvered Justin to the door.

“Justin was right.” Lee was almost yelling over the music. Matt just looked at him questioningly. “The guy we met in New York, that was Brian… THAT guy… that was Rage.” Matt laughed and they danced some more.

Justin was back to morose by the time Brian pulled the ‘vette into a parking spot in front of the loft. “You hate me.”

“Nope.”

“But…”

“Don’t hate you.”

“You think I’m…”

“I’m trying not to think.”

“Me too.”

“Let’s keep that up 'til we can talk.”

“Fuck, you said no lectures.”

“I didn’t say I was gonna lecture you.”

“But you want to talk.”

“Which requires thinking. So we’re skipping it 'til morning.”

“Do you want to fuck me? Even if we’re not allowed to think?”

Brian smiled a little as he pulled open the loft door. “Always.”

“It’s a good way not to think.”

“Is it?”

“It is. Cause when you’re fucking me…I like, lose words.”

“Beats losing brain cells.”

“HEY! That’s lecturing.”

“No it isn’t.”

“I’m tweaked not stupid.”

“Opinions vary.”

“HEY! That’s just mean.”

“You want me to be nice?”

“Nope.” Again with the accentuated P pop.

“Too bad.”

“You’re gonna be nice to me anyway?”

“I’m always nice to you.”

“Pfft. Do you still love me anymore?”

“Don’t quote soup commercials and stop it.”

“I still love you.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Justin was naked on the bed now. “I’m really horny.”

“Hmmm.”

Justin was stroking himself and Brian couldn’t pull his eyes away. 

“I want you.”

“Hmmm.”

“I hate when you do that.”

Brian quirked an eyebrow. 

“You pretend you’re not interested. You are.”

“I am?”

Justin sat up and started to undo the buttons on Brian's jeans. “I can tell.”

“Just blood flow.”

“Does anyone else make you this hard when you’re trying not to think how mad at them you are?”

“No.”

“That’s cause we’re complicated.”

Brian pushed Justin back onto the bed and stepped out of his pants. “Justin listen to me.” They locked eyes and he waited until he was sure he had as much of Justin’s attention as possible at the moment.

“We’re not that complicated. And I’m not that mad. And I’m going to fuck you into tomorrow. And when we get there. We’re gonna talk about what the fuck has you so angry you’re a fucking tweaked out mess. And you don’t have to turn me on for me to remember that I usually like you.”

“I usually like you too.”

Brian’s fingers were working the lube slowly into Justin and he felt him spread his legs under him. felt Justin’s response to him. It was almost automatic. His response was automatic too; he leaned in and kissed him. 

Justin was too wasted to be much help. He was however feeling quite flexible and Brian enjoyed watching as Justin attempted to slide his legs onto Brian’s shoulders while Brian was already deep inside him. 

“More, Brian. I need more.”

Brian moved back, hooking Justin’s knees on his shoulders and leaving only Justin’s shoulders on the mattress as his feet hit the wall behind them and Justin moaned loudly. He thrust again, harder and Justin’s mouth was open, his tongue licking his lips as he grunted with each of Brian’s movements. His hands were reaching for Brian but then fell uselessly to his sides. “You drive.” Justin said as he let out another oof of pleasure. 

Brian knew he was pushing the air out of him with each thrust, folding him in half and pummeling that perfect ass and from the sounds Justin was making he was enjoying every moment.

He tried not to look at Justin’s face. He’d lose it too soon and he wanted this to last. No thinking, that’s what they’d said. And whatever he had been forgiven for on the dance floor would come back once Justin had his faculties about him again. The forgiveness would disappear with the buzz…and really, how the fuck could he fix it if he wasn’t even sure what it was he’d done?

Thoughts were racing as he continued to pull out almost to the hilt and plunge back into Justin’s tight ass. He fucking loved this. Loved fucking Justin. Loved Justin. So how the fuck did it get so goddamned complicated.

He hated that word and the fact that he was thinking it while fucking made him even more pissed off.

He pulled out and motioned for Justin to roll over. He watched as Justin’s perfect lithe little body followed his wordless commands and he was back inside him. Justin’s hand was stroking himself again and Brian put all thoughts aside. He set a slower pace and tormented them both with it until Justin’s growls and purrs and demands were more than he could bear. He stabbed at Justin's prostate with his cock while he rolled Justin’s balls in his hand. 

He felt Justin’s orgasm building. Heard his breathing change. He swore he could feel the kids pulse through is own dick.

He pushed it into overdrive and the two of them came together.

Justin fell asleep almost immediately. Brian smoked a few more cigarettes and ran his hand through Justin’s sweat soaked hair. Eventually he fell asleep as well.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

Brian woke up first and was in the shower when Justin slid in behind him. He didn’t say anything. He finished showering in silence and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He poured himself a cup of coffee and waited.

Justin joined him on the sofa with his own coffee. It was almost eleven am. 

“So um…”

“You have to cut this shit out.”

“I know.”

“So do it.”

“I will.”

“When?”

“Now.”

“Don’t make promises.”

“I’m not. I’m saying you’re right. Last night was beyond stupid.”

“You’ve done stupider.”

“No. Not really. The most important rule we have is that we fucking talk. And I didn’t.”

“Yeah well now we have two rules.”

“We have like tons of rules.”

“Two rules I actually expect you to follow.” Brian amended.

Justin flinched a little and Brian poked him in the thigh with his toe. “Stop it.”

“That’s the rule?”

“No. Yes actually, but stop the thought train that’s gonna derail this conversation.’

“So the rules.”

“We talk. You don’t do any more crystal. And yes. I’m a hypocrite. And no, I don’t care.”

Justin nodded. “Fine.”

“You saying that to shut me up?”

“Would it work?”

Brian stared at him over his coffee cup. 

“I’m agreeing. Not because you’re ‘laying down the law’ but because I know you’re right.”

“‘Bout fucking time.”

“Fuck you. I was pissed off and…”

“And you wanted to bolt.”

“No… maybe.”

“So bolt.”

“No.”

They said nothing for a few more minutes. “I really don’t want to bolt.”

“Good.”

“I just… gaaah. I feel like such a loser.”

Brian laughed. And Justin glared at him. 

“Don’t laugh. Seriously, do you know how aggravating it is to be in a relationship with you?”

“It can’t be more aggravating than having you constantly tell me we’re in a relationship.”

“Brian.”

“Habit. I’ll stop. I’m sure it’s infuriating.”

“It is. I can’t be good at anything.”

“What?”

“You just… you… fix things even when it’s not your job.”

“How does that keep you from being good at anything.”

“I’m trying Brian. And I know you’ve been pretty fucking good lately about respecting the whole, having my own life, thing. And I appreciate it. But this thing with Molly. That was MY job. Not yours. That was MY responsibility, mine and my mother's. You just did that thing you do. You swooped in and hauled her off and that was the end of it.”

“Really.”

“Really.”

“Hmmm.”

“What?”

“You’re full of shit.”

“Bite me.”

“Later.”

“Brian.”

“No, really, later. Right now I have to correct this insane image you have of the previous few days events.”

“I’m not insane.”

“No. But your putting and interesting revisionist spin on things.”

“No I’m not.”

“Whatever. I talked to Evan to tell him to stay the fuck away from you. He told me shit that you didn’t know. By the time I was going to tell you Molly was bleeding in the guest room. Any of this ringing a bell?”

Justin said nothing and took another sip of his coffee. Brian nodded and continued.

“So I went to see what might be an option. There were a few places that were really far away. There were a few places that looked creepy. I called a couple of people I know, the recommendations were all for the Waverly Center. I called. They had a bed available, I booked it. I gave your mother the list they emailed of what she should bring with her. I gave your mother the address, the price schedule and the brochure.”

“And then you told her to go pack. Molly was going.”

“And your mother agreed.”

“Like she had a choice.”

“If she didn’t want to send her there, she could have said ‘no’. I wasn’t planning on kidnapping Molly.”

“But how could she say no?”

“The same way she’s said no to other offers I’ve made. I offered to pay for Molly’s college if your dad bailed on it.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, your mother turned me down.”

“She did?”

“Well, unlike you, Molly was actually gonna have to pay me back.”

Justin shrugged. “If I pay you back now, aren’t I just giving myself the money?”

“Pretty much.”

“So what’s the point?”

“The point is your mother could have said no.”

“I should have said no.”

“So is this because it was me, or because it happened?”

“Yes.”

“Your brand of logic should be marketed.”

“Fuck you.”

“Later. Stop trying to distract me.”

“I shouldn’t have let her go.”

“Or you should have found the place for her to go.”

“Yeah.”

“Justin. Do you know why lawyers shouldn’t be their own clients?”

“Conflict of interest?”

“Too much involved personally.”

“You think I was too emotional to see what needed doing?”

“Yes.”

“You think I’m some stupid little faggot who flutters around and queens out about everything.”

“That is one hell of a leap.”

“You think I couldn’t rationally decide what was best for Molly.”

“You have a blind spot there.”

“I do?”

“Did you think she was in any real danger?”

“Not 'til I read that stupid blog.”

“But she was in danger before you read it.”

“I would have found it eventually.”

“I know.”

“But by then she was gone.”

“But not dead.”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“You did the right thing.” 

Brian smiled. “‘Bout time huh?”

“I still hate you.”

“For what?”

“You dragged me out of the club last night.”

“I took you home to fuck you.”

“Now who’s using revisionist history?”

Brian smirked. “Did we come home?”

“Yes.”

“Did I fuck you?”

“Yes.”

Brian shrugged and took his now cold coffee and Justin's to the sink. 

“Fuck, Brian, my car. Matt, Becca, everyone… I just…”

“Matt took everyone back to the hotel so they could all gossip about what a skeevy sugar daddy I am, dragging you back to my lair to fuck you even though you were out with your friends.”

“Oh… um…”

“No. I did not embarrass you. And they’re coming here for lunch at two.”

“That’s good I guess.”

“You guess.”

“The whole…”

“Money thing.”

“Yeah.”

“Justin. Why won’t you let them know you’re succeeding?”

“Because they’re gonna think I’m succeeding because of you.”

“Are you?”

“Not in the way they’ll think.”

“So we’re back to caring what other’s think?”

“I don’t fucking know.”

Justin was hugging Brian. He leaned him against the kitchen counter and stood on his toes to kiss him. “I only know I love you.”

“You know a lot more than that.”

“Nope, everything else is complicated.”

“I hate that word.”

“But you don’t hate me.”

“No.”

“So I’ll tell them the truth about the money.”

“Seems better than painting me as the creepy sugardaddyclubfreakchildmolester and then resenting me for being one.”

“You’re really not that much of a club freak any more.”

“Fuck you.”

“But you do perv on me looking ten.”

“Like you don’t use the fact that lots of guys perv on that to succeed.”

“Hey!” Justin pinched him.

“Ow.”

“Well stop implying that I succeed through flirting.”

“You don’t?”

Justin smacked Brian's arm and looked at the clock. “We have a couple hours 'til my friends are expected.”

“Justin. Do me one favor and then I promise to fuck you into oblivion.”

“What do you want?”

“Just draw up a pricing schedule for all of this. I really need to know how much goes into the care and feeding of an idiotfledglingcrystalqueen.”

“You. Are. Not. Funny.”

“So we’re gonna stop this whole ‘sugar daddy’ thinking route?”

“Only if you fuck me and then let me pay for lunch.”

“Deal.”

“Um Brian?”

“Yeah?”

“Do I really have to pay for lunch?”

Brian laughed and kissed the top of Justin’s head. “Yes. Now get in bed.”

“Race ya.”

Brian took off after Justin and a couple hours later when they heard the buzzer they debated ignoring it. In the end they chose to answer if for no other reason than to get Justin’s keys back.


	40. Chapter 40

* * *

**Brothers Keeper**

**Chapter Forty**

* * *

Justin got to the door first. Brian was pulling beer out of the fridge. He took his own and sat back to let Justin do the entertaining. 

“Wow, this place is…”

“Yeah.” Justin shrugged at Matt.

“Beats the hell out of your shitty place in Chelsea.”

“At least I don’t have the worst roommate in history.”

“Why the fuck would you move out of here?”

Justin glared at him and Matt gave a half smile. “I know…complicated.”

Lee was walking as if hypnotized. Brian moved quickly to the top of the bedroom stairs.

“That’s… that’s Rages lair.” Lee was whispering like he was in some kind of museum.

Justin smirked. Brian glared. “So you know what happens in there?”

Lee swallowed hard. “Um, yeah.”

“You know what happens to people who go there uninvited?”

Lee started to back away slowly, Brian’s taller form towering even more from the top step. Justin slid beside him and put his arm around his waist. “Stop being Rage.”

“Why? It’s fun.”

“You’re scaring Lee.”

“That’s the fun part.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Guys why don’t we go downstairs, I’ll give you the grand tour such as it is.”

They all followed Justin. Brian trailed the group, making sure they all left Rage’s lair the fuck alone.

Becca and Zoë were whispering something to each other that Brian couldn’t catch. Justin pulled them forward into the downstairs living room.

“Stop speculating, it’s unbecoming.”

“Um, we were just…”

“He’s old.” Brian glared at Justin. “And smart.” Brian glared a little less menacingly. So yeah, he has money. You all act like you’ve been poor forever. Zoë you grew up in a gated community, and Becca, you’re on your second post grad degree, all funded by your parents so cut it the fuck out.”

“We were just saying that it’s nice.”

Justin harrumphed. “Well okay then. I was gonna cook something but I got distracted. We can order if you want. Pizza, Chinese, Thai, Mexican…”

Jared and Zoë were on the sofa. Becca joined them and Justin sat on the arm… “Well?”

“Whatever’s fine.”

“The pizza here sucks compared to Vinny’s so…”

“Thai’s fine.”

Justin got their orders and made the call. “So we didn’t get to talk much before I went psycho… what’s new?”

They were all quiet for a minute. 

“Oh holy hell. It’s just a nice place. It’s where I live when I’m here. Stop acting like it’s the fucking library.”

“It’s just…did you say you were gonna cook? You can cook?”

“Starvation makes you learn to do lots of things. He doesn’t eat.”

“I eat.”

“Shut up.”

“Yes dear.”

“Bite me.”

“Later.”

Justin went back to ignoring Brian for a minute. He put his feet up on the coffee table and everyone else seemed to relax a little, leaning back against the sofa rather than sitting up straight as if waiting for the principal. 

Justin sighed loudly. “Fine. You’ve got…” he looked at his watch. “Ten minutes. Ask anything you want about my life here and then we’re done.”

They all looked at each other and shrugged. “Nothing to know I guess.”

“Good.”

Justin was about to change the topic to something else when Aaron walked in. “Hey”

“Hey.”

“You’ve got company.”

“We ordered Thai, you want something?”

“Yeah, get me those shrimp things I like.”

“I’ll call them.” Brian offered. “You make the introductions.”

Aaron was suddenly aware of five pairs of eyes on him. He waved a little shyly and then flopped down on the big chair casually. “Hi.”

“This is my half-breed Aaron. Aaron…” Justin gestured his head towards his friends. “Zoë, Jared, Matt, Becca, and that’s Lee over there. And get out of our chair.”

Aaron shrugged and got up. Justin sat on the ottoman waiting for Brian to return before he settled in. 

“He’s your brother?”

“Half brother.”

“He’s…” Lee’s eyes were boring into Aaron.

“Really young.” Justin finished the sentence for Lee who smiled… “That’s what I was gonna say.”

Aaron gave Lee his best flirtatious look. “I only look young, it’s a family thing.”

Justin considered smacking him but decided that this was probably harmless. “You all coming to Babylon tonight?”

They nodded and Brian sat down behind Justin. Justin slid back and leaned against him. 

“We need to be stoned.”

“I can’t, Emmett’s called me twice already and I have to be there in a couple of hours.”

“Hmmm.”

Brian smiled. “Fuck it.” He retrieved his stash and rolled a couple of joints. “If you’re wasted at midnight…”

Justin glared at him. “Come. Midnight. I know.”

They passed the weed around and were all pleasantly mellow by the time the food arrived. Justin gave Aaron the money. “I want change.” 

Aaron gave him his best twat smile and paid the guy. Justin never did get change. 

“You made millions off of me like that.” Brian said.

“Pfft, you paid for everything with a credit card, and that’s not how I made my millions.”

“When did you make millions?”

“Oh yeah, when I do… it won’t be from stealing change.”

“Good to know you have a plan.”

“Lee and Aaron were sharing those shrimp things and talking. Justin was about to say something when Brian wrapped a hand around his mouth. “Lee’s harmless. I can scare the shit out of him and he’s leaving in two days.”

Justin settled back against him and ate the coconut chicken with his fingers. 

“That’s just…”

“Hot?”

“I was gonna say…” Brian’s words were muffled when Justin pushed a coconut chicken flavored finger into his mouth. Brian sucked on it. “Okay, it’s a little hot.”

Justin turned his attention to the rest of the group when he heard Zoë talking about the Zelman exhibition. “You get in?”

“They’re doing a new thing this year.”

“What?”

“It’s some kind of open air thing in the park, a new artists review or…”

“When?”

“End of May. Submissions by mid February.”

“You submitting?” Brian asked.

“I am. Lee is. Justin should.” Zoë said before Justin could say anything.

Brian looked down at him. “You’re not?”

“I might. Depends. I have four clients with major overhauls. The bid I put in for that guy who’s revamping that old warehouse into flex office space is still pending, not sure I’ll have the time.”

Brian nodded. 

“Doesn’t pay anything. They ooh, they aaaah, you get a couple hundred bucks from someone who thinks your shit _may_ be worth something someday and then you’ve spent all that time for what?”

“To create something!” Zoë almost yelled. Justin flinched and Zoë looked sheepish. “Sorry, but I just don’t get how you can not see the point in the stuff you’re doing when it’s so much better than most of the crap out there.”

“Muse hasn’t hit lately. If it does…I’ll probably submit something.”

Zoë nodded, seemingly mollified. Brian made a move to get up. “I’ve gotta go meet Emmett.”

“Want Company?”  
  


“You have company. I’ll see you there.”

“Come midnight.”

Brian smiled and then leaned in he whispered against Justin’s ear. “No fucking crystal.”

“Scouts honor.” Justin shivered pleasantly from the feel of Brian's breath on him.

“You were never a scout.” Brian was still whispering.

“Oh, then um… okay.”

Brian kissed him. “Bye kiddies.”

They waved as he went upstairs to get his keys and coat. Aaron leaned back against Lee and Justin bit back whatever he was going to say about it. 

“You guys want a drink?”

Jared and Matt joined him at the bar to get drinks for everyone. 

“What’s up with your brother and Lee?”  
  


“How the fuck should I know?”

Matt poured Becca a drink and pulled a beer out of the fridge for himself. “So this place we’re going tonight…”

“Babylon.”

“Yeah, what’s it like?”

Justin shrugged again. “It used to be cool, better than Scenic, not as upscale as Torrid, decent size. Haven’t seen it in action yet though. Could be completely empty.”

“I doubt it.”

“Never know.”

“I know but new club, New Years Eve… and the radio keeps hyping it.”

“Yeah, Brian’s in advertising, he knows how to make a production out of something.”

“Should be cool.”

“I fucking hope so.”

“You better now?”

“Than when?”

“Last night.”

“That was me being a fucking moron.”

“Seems to be the consensus.”

“Fuck. You did all gossip about poor fucked up Justin.”

“Mostly we just drooled. Brian’s hot.”

“Duh. I’m pretty sure I’ve told you that. And you’ve met him…”

“Yeah but when he’s mad.”

“He wasn’t mad.”

“If you say so.”

“He wasn’t… was he?”

“He seemed a little mad when he left with you.”

“Yeah but we got over that.”

“Cool.”

“We did.”

“I wasn’t arguing.”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just the worst whatthefuckever boyfriend or something ever.”

“Hardly, you should meet my ex.”

“I’ve read your stories about him. No thanks.”

“They took the drinks back to find Aaron smiling smugly and Justin glaring at him. “You’re gonna be too wasted to even get there at this rate.”

“Pfft, you’re the lightweight.”

They all laughed, Justin was a lot of things, a lightweight wasn’t one of them. 

“Go blow something up.”

“Lee, come on, Brian got me the new Mechassault.”

“Brian buys him stuff?” Becca gave one of her ‘knowing’ smiles that Justin hated so much.

“Yeah. So what?”

“Nothing just… seems rather domestic, to be buying his brother in law things to keep at his place. I mean for a commitment-phobe.”

“I never called him that.”

“Well, not in those words.”

“It’s…”

“Complicated.” They all said in unison.

“You’re all uninvited tonight.” Justin responded, sitting back to sip his drink. I’m disowning you all as friends.”

Becca and Zoë deiced that was the perfect moment to pounce on him and declare their love. Justin did his best to struggle out of their embrace, but they were squealing and kissing the sides of his face and he just started to laugh. “Christ, if I weren’t already gay, that would have done it.”

They both pretended to pout but remained on either side of him in the large chair. That’s how Brian found them when he came back in for something he’d forgotten.

“I leave for a twenty minutes and you’ve gone straight.”

“They won’t get off me.”

“And poor tiny Justin can’t get himself away from two girls?”

“Fuck you, I’m not poor or tiny, and just because you’re hag’s in Toronto, don’t begrudge me mine.”

Brian laughed and headed out again. “See you at nine. And you’re gonna have to deal with my hag in Toronto soon enough.”

“I don’t mind Lindz… but can Mel like… go somewhere else?”

Brian laughed again. “I asked. Lindsay was very polite...”

“And said no.”

Brian shrugged and left.

“Who’s his hag?”

“The mother of his kid.”

“He has a kid?”

“I told you that.”

They were all staring at him. “No. We would have remembered your being a stepfather.”

“I’m not a stepfather. I’m um…”

“You’re a step father.”

“No, I’m… Justin.”

“How old is he.”

“Five.”

“So he had a kid while you were together.”

“Literally.”

“What?”

“Gus was born the night we met…long story. It’s…”

“Complicated.” Again from all of them.

“Fuck you all. It is. And Gus is cool and bite me.”

Becca leaned over and bit his ear. “HEY!”

“What? You said to.”

“You’re a freak.”

“Duh.”

“Where’s your real hag?”

“You are my real hag.”

“No your friend from High School, um… daisy?”

“Daphne. She’s in England.”

“What’s she doing there?”

“Finishing up some grad school work.”

“For how long?”

Justin shrugged. “She met a guy, might be a while.”

“So you’re hagless in Pittsburgh?”

“No we’ve got Debbie… she’s a big enough hag to spare.”

“Debbie?”

“If she’s not there tonight I’ll be shocked. And you’ll meet her tomorrow anyway.”

“We will.”

“You want to eat tomorrow? We go to the diner. She works new years day, doesn’t trust anyone else to make the coffee wretched enough.”

“What the fuck are you talking about.”

“I have no idea. Now get off of me I’ve got to go do something.”

“What?”

“None of your business. Go play with Aaron and Lee, or Jared and Matt. Or… I don’t know, anyone but me.”

Justin struggled to get up and the girls made a halfhearted attempt to keep him down. Justin finally escaped their clutches and with a dramatic sigh of relief went upstairs. He had something he had to do.

A few hours later, they all headed towards Babylon.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

It was early but the place was already filling up. So far invitees only. The doors would open at ten. The DJ had started and Justin found Brian immediately. He tried not to be aggravated that Brian seemed to check his pupils before he leaned in to kiss him. 

“Mmmmmm. The place looks great.”

“Emmett did a good job.”

“So did you. And you look… hot.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Justin ran his finger along the buttons of Brian's shirt. “New?”

“Would I wear something old opening night?”

“I don’t know… but it’s… hot.”

“You said that already.”

“I’m kind of running out of words.”

He really was. His knees were a little weak, Brian looked a lot like he had the first night they’d met. A lot like he had all those times he’d chased him shamelessly. It reminded him why he did it. He didn’t just love this man. He _wanted_ him. “Show me the VIP lounge.”

“Not yet. We’ve got guests to greet.”

“Gaaah, I’m gonna need a drink or two.”

Brian motioned to Jamie who put a couple of shots in front of them. “Aaron get in okay.”

“Murphy’s working the door.”

“Right.”

“Did you steal boy-toy’s DJ?”

“No. I stole Popperz’. And most of the bartending staff too.”

“So now what’s his name hates you.”

“I can live with that.”

“Dance with me.”

Brian moved his way to the dance floor and they danced for a few songs until Emmett pulled him away for a consultation on something. Justin found his friends. “You guys okay?”

“This place is amazing.”

“Yeah. Brian has a knack.”

“But you designed it.”

“Pfft, I did a little computer work. Brian and Paul pulled it together.”

“Justin! Come here.”

Justin lifted a finger to ask his friends to excuse him and went to see what Aaron wanted. 

“What?”

“Um…”

“What?”

Lee was laughing. Aaron was aggravated. “Brian’s busy, tell this asshole I can have a drink.”

Justin nodded to Flynn who passed Aaron a beer. Justin leaned over to the bartender. “Cut him off before he passes out.” Flynn nodded and spoke into a headset to pass the info to barkeeps at the other stations around the floor. Aaron glared at him and Justin shot him an innocent smile. Then he leaned on Lee’s shoulder a little too hard. “He’s my little brother. He’s Rage’s half-breed in-law.” His voice was low and Lee seemed to understand.

Aaron didn’t care. He leaned in and kissed Lee. “Don’t let him scare you. They’re both all talk.”

Brian was standing behind Aaron now and was amused to see Lee’s face go a little paler. “Who’s all talk?”

“Um, no one.”

Brian nodded, “that’s what I thought.” He tucked something in Aaron's pocket and Aaron smiled. “See,” he said to Lee holding up a bullet and a couple of condoms. “All talk.”

Lee seemed to visibly relax. 

Brian headed over to greet Michael and Ben. Hunter had blessedly decided not to show. 

“The place looks amazing.”

“Thanks Michael.”

“I can’t believe you reopened.”

“You fucking told me to.”

“That’s why I can’t believe it. When do you listen to me?”

Brian laughed and dragged Michael onto the dance floor. Justin came over to greet Ben. They said their hellos and Justin introduced his friends and moved off to welcome Debbie.

Soon the doors opened to the public and the place was overflowing. The drinks were just flowing and Brian looked happy.

Justin pulled him onto the dance floor and leaned in to kiss him. He felt Brian bend his knees so that their bodies were perfectly aligned. “You gonna show me the VIP lounge yet?”

“Nope…haven’t even opened it to the public yet.”

“I’m not the public.”

“You’ll see it tonight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Cut it out.”

“I just needed to say it.”

“And it’s over.”

“Okay.”

“Your friends seem to like you.”

“They like you too, which is weird.”

“It is.”

“I’m sure you’ll do something to piss them off later.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Like you have to try.”

“I don’t have to but it’s more fun that way.”

Justin glanced at his watch. “Fuck, I have to go I’ll be back.”

“It’s almost midnight.”

“We’ve got twenty minutes.”

Justin rushed off and Brian wasn’t worried. He was talking to Michael and Ben when the music stopped. He panicked for a moment but then realized the power hadn’t gone out. The music started up again.

A single spotlight hit the stage and Brian’s mouth dropped. He tried to just keep a calm demeanor; he was doing a shitty job of it.

Justin was standing next to the pole, cheesy cowboy hat, black jeans. Black vest. Chewing gum. He tipped his hat back and made eye contact with Brian. The music got louder. Justin started to move to the sounds of the song “high school confidential”.

“Jesus, is he trying to win back his king of Babylon crown?”

Brian put a hand over Michael’s mouth and did his best to look bored. Fucking hell Justin looked hot. He still did that unsure of himself thing with a sexiness that was just innate to him. He tossed his hat into the crowd and Brian caught the looks on his friends’ faces. He almost did lose it then. This was NOT the Justin they knew. This was the Justin Brian knows.

Justin was grinding against the pole, and what he was doing was probably illegal in several states. Brian was very grateful that Jennifer had not come this evening. Brian was very grateful that Justin was going to come this evening… while he was deep inside him.

Justin swung himself around the pole and then leaned all the way back and Brian’s dick was hard and wanted Justin…not some useless nameless fuck to prove something. He wanted the strong, sexy, complicated boy currently making every man in the room, extraordinarily interested in the backroom, or the bathrooms, or any other quiet corner.

Justin bounced off the stage and the house music and lights came up. He was still chewing that fucking gum. He came up to Brian. “Hi!”

Brian didn’t say anything; he pulled Justin by the waistband and didn’t let go until they were in the new VIP lounge. 

“It’s almost midnight.”

Brian still wasn’t talking. For a heart stopping moment Justin thought Brian might be mad. Then he saw his face… he was just beyond speech. 

Justin smiled. “The um, the lounge is nice.”

Brian _still_ wasn’t talking. He yanked Justin’s pants down roughly. 

“The new couches, and wow, a separate sound system that’s really….”

Brian’s mouth was on him now. And he’d been hard since he’d first stepped on the stage. He felt a wet warm tongue swipe across the head of his cock and then flit to the spot just below the head and he leaned back and moaned. “Brian.”

Brian was standing again, backing Justin against the wall, kissing him. His tongue probed inside, mapping out his mouth as if it were new and unmarked territory. Justin's hands were pressed against Brian's back, pulling him closer. 

When Brian pulled his head back Justin smiled. “So um, you liked the dance?”

Brian vaguely heard the DJ announce five minutes 'til midnight and the music started. The beat was steady and the walls were somewhat soundproofed but the thumpa thumpa was hitting him in the solar plexus and he smiled a little, but he knew he probably looked more feral than pleased. He was both. He NEEDED Justin right now. Justin’s hands were expertly working his fly and when he felt his pants drop he lifted Justin up and lowered him onto his now sheathed cock. 

He watched as Justin’s mouth opened. His tongue licked his lips and he couldn’t resist. He leaned his entire body into the boy. Justin’s hard on poking against his abs. His mouth surrendering to his plundering tongue, his arms wrapped around his neck, his legs wrapped around his back.

He squeezed the ample flesh of Justin’s ass and pulled him upwards only to drop him back down a little, impaling him as he thrust forward at the same time. Justin breathed his desire into Brian. And Brian’s mouth was on him again.

There were no words. There was no need for them. There was just this. Brian’s body holding Justin suspended between the wall and himself. Brian’s hands and mouth and dick holding them both suspended in that space, that animal like place just before orgasm.

He heard the throngs of people outside counting down the seconds and with each yell he fisted Justin’s cock and thrust deeper into his ass. They were both teetering on the brink and as the yells of “Happy New Year!” Flooded the building, Brian and Justin’s orgasmic gasps mingled to join them.

Brian backed away a little, letting Justin bring his legs to the ground. “Happy new year.” Justin said as he wiped a sweaty tendril of hair from Brian’s forehead.

“Happy new year.” Brian smiled and leaned in to kiss him. Pausing a second the way he often did. Justin was sure his heart was about to explode. Brian was sure he’d never loved this kid more.

They stood together; holding each other as if they’d almost lost something. Maybe they had, but it was a new year. They were starting it together and there would be more like this. More nights, more weeks, more years. 


End file.
